The feature sizes of microelectronic devices have entered the deep submicron regime. The process integration and structure-properties control of the multilevel metal circuitry demand an interdisciplinary interaction and understanding between manufacturing and research. To realize the vision presented in the national technology road map, material and technological challenges will need to be overcome. For example Cu conductor and its barrier metals and low-dielectric constant insulators are at issue. For materials processing, chemical-mechanical planarization and low-temperature filling of high-aspect ratio vias are challenges. For materials examination, the metrology of submicron structures is nontrivial and for materials reliability, the interplay among multiple driving forces and the response in small-dimension microstructures are intriguing. These issues are the focus of this book from MRS. Topics include: road map, technology and metrology of submicron device structures; reliability issues for Cu metallization; Al interconnects and vias; barrier metal; interlevel low-K dielectrics and contact to Si and compound semiconductors.

Liquid crystals have emerged as a class of organic materials with potential applications to optics, photonics and optoelectronics. Although a large number of liquid crystals have been discovered or synthesized, fundamental understanding of structure-property relationships at the molecular level is still lacking. Regardless, liquid-crystalline materials have found use in many areas of technology and their scope has been extended with the development of liquid-crystalline polymers, elastomers and composite systems. In addition, emerging advanced technologies, such as flat-panel displays, optical computing and communications, and imaging will call for improved materials as well as novel multifunctional materials. This book presents recent advances in both the fundamental science and application-specific research of LC technology. New synthetic approaches are featured, as are developments in novel glass forming, low-molecular-weight liquid crystals and their utility in both display and optical applications. Topics include: PDLC composites; display and optical applications of LC-based compounds; modelling; rheology; chiral smectics and thermosets.

Learn to assess electromigration reliability and design more resilient chips in this comprehensive and practical resource. Beginning with fundamental physics and building to advanced methodologies, this book enables the reader to develop highly reliable on-chip wiring stacks and power grids. Through a detailed review on the role of microstructure, interfaces and processing on electromigration reliability, as well as characterisation, testing and analysis, the book follows the development of on-chip interconnects from microscale to nanoscale. Practical modeling methodologies for statistical analysis, from simple 1D approximation to complex 3D description, can be used for step-by-step development of reliable on-chip wiring stacks and industrial-grade power/ground grids. This is an ideal resource for materials scientists and reliability and chip design engineers.