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To: Fabeyes who wrote (44527)	3/29/1999 8:20:00 AM
From: Zeev Hed	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 53903

Fabeyes, according to a major article in Semiconductor International of June last year, "The first implementation of copper will be achieved with dual damascene architecture, PVD deposited tantalum based diffusion barriers and copper seed layers (also PVD) and electroplated copper fill". When you electroplate (or even electroless plate) only the copper seeded area accepts the copper from the electrolyte, thus creating selective filling or "bulking" of copper mass for the conductors. As for gold, it was one of the early materials tried by the industry but it met its early death with the "purple plague" (an Si/Au alloy created by the extremely rapid diffusion of gold into Si). I do not see great advantage in using gold or silver if copper works. Gold with a resistance of 2.53 microhm-cm is only marginally better than Al with 2.65. Cu has resistance of 1.67 microhm-cm while silver is just marginally better at 1.59 (all at 20 C). I presume that the drive to Cu from Al was simply to reduce the resistance and thus the RC allowing operation at higher frequencies without getting too much pulse rounding. Zeev