Since its inception as the Tungsten Workshop in 1984, AMC has served as the leading conference for the interconnect and contact metallization communities, and has remained at the leading edge of the development of tungsten, aluminum, and copper/low-K interconnects. As the semiconductor industry evolves, exciting new challenges in metallization are emerging, particularly in the areas of contacts to advanced devices, local interconnect solutions for highly-scaled devices, advanced memory device metallization, and 3D/packaging technology. While the conference content has evolved, the unique workshop environment of AMC fosters open discussion to create opportunities for cross-pollination between academia and industry. Submissions are covering materials, process, integration and reliability challenges spanning a wide range of topics in metallization for interconnect/contact applications, especially in the areas of: - Contacts to advanced devices (FinFET, Nanowire, III/V, and 2D materials) - Highly-scaled local and global interconnects - Beyond Cu interconnect - Novel metallization schemes and advanced dielectrics - Interconnect and device reliability - Advanced memory (NAND/DRAM, 3D NAND, STT and RRAM) - 3D and packaging (monolithic 3D, TSV, EMI) - Novel and emerging interconnects Executive Committee: Sang Hoon Ahn (Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.) Paul R. Besser (Lam Research) Robert S. Blewer (Blewer Scientific Consultants, LLC) Daniel Edelstein (IBM) John Ekerdt (The University of Texas at Austin) Greg Herdt (Micron) Chris Hobbs (Sematech) Francesca Iacopi (Griffith University) Chia-Hong Jan (Intel Corporation) Rajiv Joshi (IBM) Heinrich Koerner (Infineon Technologies) Mehul Naik (Applied Materials Inc.) Fabrice Nemouchi (CEA LETI MINATEC) Takayuki Ohba (Tokyo Institute of Technology) Noel Russell (TEL Technology Center, America) Stefan E. Schulz (Chemnitz University of Technology) Yosi Shacham-Diamand (Tel-Aviv University) Roey Shaviv (Applied Materials Inc.) Zsolt Tokei (IMEC)

Thema der vorgelegten Dissertation ist der Mechanismus der Keimbildung und des Wachstums von Platinclustern in Lösung und auf Biopolymeren nach der Reduktion von Platin-Salzen. Die Untersuchung wird auf atomarer Skala durch ab-initio Molekulardynamik mit der Methode von Car und Parrinello durchgeführt. In einem klassischen, generell akzeptierten Mechanismus erfolgt die Aggregation von Pt-Atomen nur nach kompletter Reduktion der Pt(II)-Komplexen zum metallischen Pt(0)-Zustand. Im Gegensatz dazu, in der hier beobachteten Reaktionsablauf entstehen stabile Pt-Pt-Bindungen schon nach einem einzigen Reduktionsschritt. Darüber hinaus wird es gefunden, dass kleine Pt-Cluster durch Addition von unreduzierten PtCl2(H2O)2-Komplexen wachsen können. Das stimmt mit einem experimentell beocbachteten autokatalytischen Clusterwachstumsmechanismus überein. Es wird weiterhin gefunden, dass Pt(II)-Komplexe, die kovalent an DNA oder an Proteine gebunden sind, als sehr effiziente Nukleationszentren für das weitere Metallclusterwachstum wirken können. Das ist eine Konsequenz des starken Donor-Charakters der organischen Liganden, in derer Anwesenheit stärkere Metall-Metall-Bindungen als frei in der Lösung gebildet werden können. In der Tat, in Metallisierungsexperimenten können 5 Nanometer dünne, mehrere Mikrometer lange, regelmässige Clusterkette erzeugt werden, die rein heterogen auf das Biomolekulare Templat gewachsen sind. / In this thesis we investigate the molecular mechanisms of platinum cluster nucleation and growth in solution and on biopolymers by means of first-principles molecular dynamics. In contrast with a classical picture where clusters nucleate by aggregation of metallic Pt(0) atoms, we find that Pt--Pt bonds can form between dissolved Pt(II) complexes already after a single reduction step. Furthermore, we observe that small clusters grow by addition of unreduced PtCl2(H2O)2 complexes, consistently with an autocatalytic growth mechanism. Moreover Pt(II) ions covalently bound to biopolymers are found to act as preferred nucleation sites for the formation of clusters. This is a consequence of the strong donor character of the organic ligands which induce the formation of stronger metal-metal bonds than those obtained in solution. In fact, in metallization experiments we obtain a clean and purely heterogeneous metallization of single DNA molecules leading to thin and uniform Pt cluster chains extended over several microns.

Visualization and study of reconformation of polyelectrolytes (PEs) of different architecture is of great fundamental and practical interest. Verification of theoretical predictions with experiment is of essential importance. On the other hand, a wide range of bottom-up techniques based on patterning of matter on the length scale of a few nanometers have been recently developed. Particularly interesting is the possibility of using self-assembled single molecule structures as templates for the deposition of inorganic matter, in particular metals. Synthetic "normal-sized" polymers of various architecture, like poly-2-vinylpyridine (P2VP) or polystyrene-poly(2-vynil pyridine) P2VP7-PS7 star-like block copolymer, adsorbed on solid substrates have been visualized for the first time with molecular resolution by AFM in different conformation. This finding allowed us to study largely discussed problem, a coil-to-globule transition of PEs. It was found that PE molecules undergo conformational transitions from stretched worm-like coil to compact globule via set of necklace-like globules, as the fraction of charged monomers decreases with an increase of pH and ionic strength. These results are in good agreement with recently developed DRO theory for weakly charged flexible PEs in poor solvent. The size of the deposited single molecules correlates very well with molecular dimensions in solution obtained in light scattering experiments. PE single molecules of various architectures was mineralized in different conformations that constitutes the route to nanoparticles with desired shape (including wire-shape and star-shaped), size, and composition (including metallic, magnetic and semiconductive nanoparticles). It was shown that molecular details of the adsorbed linear flexible PE molecules determine the dimensions of the nanostructures after metallization and that observed sizes are consistent with the decoration of single molecules with nanoclusters. Thus those metallized nanoparticles (cluster assembles) reflect the conformation of original adsorbed PE molecules. The dimensions of the obtained nanowires are significantly smaller than those previously reported. All of these features are of the potential benefit in applications for nanodevices. Metallization of the PS7-P2VP7 improves AFM resolution due to the selective deposition of Pd clusters along the P2VP chains. For the first time, the number of the P2VP second generation arms of the heteroarm block-copolymer was directly counted in the single molecule AFM experiment. Simple contrasting procedure was developed to improve AFM visualization of positively charged polymer chains deposited on the substrates of relatively high roughness. This method allows increasing the thickness of the resulting structures up to 10 nm, and, consequently, provide visualization of polymer chains on rough surfaces. This innovation is important for the development of single molecule experiments with polymer chains. The reaction of HCF-anion could be used for recognition of polycation molecules, when polycations, polyanions and neutral molecules coexist on the surface. Recently, the study was strongly restricted to atomically smooth surfaces. The contrasting procedure extends the range of substrates (Si-wafers, chemically modified or patterned Si-wafers, polished glasses, polymer films, etc) appropriate for the experiments. Thus, polymer single molecules can be considered not only as representative of the ensemble molecules, but also as individual nanoscale objects which can be used for future nanotechnology for the fabrication of single molecule electronic devices. Also these findings are important from fundamental point of view, since developed approach can be successfully applied for investigation of various "classical" problems in polymer science, such as polymer reconformation, interpolyelectrolyte complex formation, polymer diffusion, adsorption, etc.

Die Dissertation verfolgt die Fragestellung biologische Materialien in herkömmlichen elektronischen Strukturen einzusetzen. Im Verlauf der Darstellung werden deshalb die elektrischen Eigenschaften von DNA mit Hinblick auf diesen Einsatz untersucht. Dabei wird zunächst gezeigt, dass sich native DNA durch seine geringe elektrische Leitfähigkeit wahrscheinlich nicht für einen Einsatz in elektronischen Stromkreisen eignet. Deswegen wird ein alternativer Ansatz entwickelt, bei dem DNA zur Assemblierung von dünnen Metalldrähten verwendet wird. Es wird ein Verfahren entwickelt, mit dem Palladium- und Platincluster mit einer Größe von 3 nm auf der DNA erzeugt werden können. Durch die weitere Anlagerung von Metall gelang die kontinuierliche Bedeckung der DNA mit Metall. Im Ergebnis entstehen metallische Clusterketten und Nanodrähte mit einem Durchmesser von 20 bis 100 nm und mehreren Mikrometern Länge. Diese metallischen Strukturen wurden erfolgreich zwischen zwei Goldkontakte integriert. Bei den Messungen konnte eine gute elektrische Leitfähigkeit mit linearer Strom-Spannungsabhängigkeit beobachtet werden. Damit sind diese Strukturen als Verbindungselemente in Schaltkreisen geeignet und somit kann DNA in einem Schaltkreis als strukturgebendes Element für die Assemblierung von Metalldrähten Verwendung finden. Die Anwendungsmöglichkeiten der in dieser Arbeit entwickelten DNA-Metallisierung erstrecken sich jedoch nicht nur auf den technologischen Bereich. Insbesondere konnten in den erzeugten Nanostrukturen Quanteneffekte der schwachen Lokalisierung und Elektron-Elektron-Wechselwirkung nachgewiesen werden. Diese Phänomene führen bei tiefen Temperaturen zu einem Widerstandsanstieg mit sinkender Temperatur. Grund für dieses Verhalten sind die geringen Abmessungen der Probe und eine stark gestörte innere Struktur der Nanodrähte. Damit erscheint die Assemblierung von nanoskaligen Strukturen auf einem biologischen Template als realistisches Konzept zur Untersuchung von Quantenphänomenen kleinster Strukturen.

In numerous Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria as well as in Archaea SL proteins form the outermost layer of the cell envelope. SL (glyco)monomers self-assemble with oblique (p2), tetragonal (p4), or hexagonal (p3, p6) symmetries [12]. SL subunits interact with each other and with the underlying cell surface by relatively weak non-covalent forces such as hydrogen-bonds, ionic bonds, salt-bridges or hydrophobic interactions. This makes them easy to isolate by applying chaotropic agents like urea and guanidine hydrochloride (GuHCl), chelating chemicals, or by changing the pH of the environment [10]. Upon dialysis in an ambient buffer monomers recrystallize into regular arrays that possess the forms of flat sheets, open ended cylinders, or spheres on solid substrates, at air-water intefaces and on lipid films, making them appealing for nanobiotechnological applications [3, 18]. The aim of this study was to investigate the structure, thermal stability, in vivo self-assembly process, recrystallization and metallization of three different recombinant SL proteins (SslA-eGFP, mSbsC-eGFP and S13240-eGFP) expressed in yeast S. cerevisiae BY4741 which could be further used in nanobiotechnological applications. In order to fulfill this aim, I investigated the in vivo expression of SL proteins (SslA, SbsC, S13240) tagged with eGFP (SL-eGFP) in the yeast S. cerevisiae BY4141. First, I characterized the heterologous expression of SL fusion constructs with growth and fluorescence measurements combined with Western blot analyses. Fluorescence microscopy investigations of overnight grown cultures showed that SslA-eGFP fusion protein was expressed as fluorescent patches, mSbsC-eGFP as tubular networks, and S13240-eGFP as hollow-like fibrillar network structures, while eGFP did not show any distinct structure Thermal stability of in vivo expressed SL-eGFP fusion proteins were investigated by fluorescence microscopy and immunodetection. In vivo self-assembly kinetics during mitosis and meiosis was the second main issue. In parallel, association of in vivo mSbsC-eGFP structures with the cellular components was of interest. A network of tubular structures in the cytosol of the transformed yeast cells that did not colocalize with microtubules or the actin cytoskeleton was observed. Time-resolved analysis of the formation of these structures during vegetative growth and sporulation was investigated by live fluorescence microscopy. While in meiosis ascospores seemed to receive assembled structures from the diploid cells, during mitosis surface layer structures were formed de novo in the buds. Surface layer assembly always started with the appearance of a dot-like structure in the cytoplasm, suggesting a single nucleation point. In order to get these in vivo SL assemblies stably outside the cells (in situ), cell distruption experiments were conducted. The tubular structures formed by the protein in vivo were retained upon bursting the cells by osmotic shock; however their average length was decreased. During dialysis, monomers obtained by treatment with chaotropic agents recrystallized again to form tube-like structures. This process was strictly dependent on calcium ions, with an optimal concentration of 10 mM. Further increase of the Ca2+ concentration resulted in multiple non-productive nucleation points. It was further shown that the lengths of the S-layer assemblies increased with time and could be controlled by pH. After 48 hours the average length at pH 9.0 was 4.13 µm compared to 2.69 µm at pH 5.5. Successful chemical deposition of platinum indicates the potential of recrystallized mSbsC-eGFP structures for nanobiotechnological applications. For example, such metalized protein nanotubes could be used in conductive nanocircuit technologies as nanowires.

Visualization and study of reconformation of polyelectrolytes (PEs) of different architecture is of great fundamental and practical interest. Verification of theoretical predictions with experiment is of essential importance. On the other hand, a wide range of bottom-up techniques based on patterning of matter on the length scale of a few nanometers have been recently developed. Particularly interesting is the possibility of using self-assembled single molecule structures as templates for the deposition of inorganic matter, in particular metals. Synthetic "normal-sized" polymers of various architecture, like poly-2-vinylpyridine (P2VP) or polystyrene-poly(2-vynil pyridine) P2VP7-PS7 star-like block copolymer, adsorbed on solid substrates have been visualized for the first time with molecular resolution by AFM in different conformation. This finding allowed us to study largely discussed problem, a coil-to-globule transition of PEs. It was found that PE molecules undergo conformational transitions from stretched worm-like coil to compact globule via set of necklace-like globules, as the fraction of charged monomers decreases with an increase of pH and ionic strength. These results are in good agreement with recently developed DRO theory for weakly charged flexible PEs in poor solvent. The size of the deposited single molecules correlates very well with molecular dimensions in solution obtained in light scattering experiments. PE single molecules of various architectures was mineralized in different conformations that constitutes the route to nanoparticles with desired shape (including wire-shape and star-shaped), size, and composition (including metallic, magnetic and semiconductive nanoparticles). It was shown that molecular details of the adsorbed linear flexible PE molecules determine the dimensions of the nanostructures after metallization and that observed sizes are consistent with the decoration of single molecules with nanoclusters. Thus those metallized nanoparticles (cluster assembles) reflect the conformation of original adsorbed PE molecules. The dimensions of the obtained nanowires are significantly smaller than those previously reported. All of these features are of the potential benefit in applications for nanodevices. Metallization of the PS7-P2VP7 improves AFM resolution due to the selective deposition of Pd clusters along the P2VP chains. For the first time, the number of the P2VP second generation arms of the heteroarm block-copolymer was directly counted in the single molecule AFM experiment. Simple contrasting procedure was developed to improve AFM visualization of positively charged polymer chains deposited on the substrates of relatively high roughness. This method allows increasing the thickness of the resulting structures up to 10 nm, and, consequently, provide visualization of polymer chains on rough surfaces. This innovation is important for the development of single molecule experiments with polymer chains. The reaction of HCF-anion could be used for recognition of polycation molecules, when polycations, polyanions and neutral molecules coexist on the surface. Recently, the study was strongly restricted to atomically smooth surfaces. The contrasting procedure extends the range of substrates (Si-wafers, chemically modified or patterned Si-wafers, polished glasses, polymer films, etc) appropriate for the experiments. Thus, polymer single molecules can be considered not only as representative of the ensemble molecules, but also as individual nanoscale objects which can be used for future nanotechnology for the fabrication of single molecule electronic devices. Also these findings are important from fundamental point of view, since developed approach can be successfully applied for investigation of various "classical" problems in polymer science, such as polymer reconformation, interpolyelectrolyte complex formation, polymer diffusion, adsorption, etc.

Die Dissertation verfolgt die Fragestellung biologische Materialien in herkömmlichen elektronischen Strukturen einzusetzen. Im Verlauf der Darstellung werden deshalb die elektrischen Eigenschaften von DNA mit Hinblick auf diesen Einsatz untersucht. Dabei wird zunächst gezeigt, dass sich native DNA durch seine geringe elektrische Leitfähigkeit wahrscheinlich nicht für einen Einsatz in elektronischen Stromkreisen eignet. Deswegen wird ein alternativer Ansatz entwickelt, bei dem DNA zur Assemblierung von dünnen Metalldrähten verwendet wird. Es wird ein Verfahren entwickelt, mit dem Palladium- und Platincluster mit einer Größe von 3 nm auf der DNA erzeugt werden können. Durch die weitere Anlagerung von Metall gelang die kontinuierliche Bedeckung der DNA mit Metall. Im Ergebnis entstehen metallische Clusterketten und Nanodrähte mit einem Durchmesser von 20 bis 100 nm und mehreren Mikrometern Länge. Diese metallischen Strukturen wurden erfolgreich zwischen zwei Goldkontakte integriert. Bei den Messungen konnte eine gute elektrische Leitfähigkeit mit linearer Strom-Spannungsabhängigkeit beobachtet werden. Damit sind diese Strukturen als Verbindungselemente in Schaltkreisen geeignet und somit kann DNA in einem Schaltkreis als strukturgebendes Element für die Assemblierung von Metalldrähten Verwendung finden. Die Anwendungsmöglichkeiten der in dieser Arbeit entwickelten DNA-Metallisierung erstrecken sich jedoch nicht nur auf den technologischen Bereich. Insbesondere konnten in den erzeugten Nanostrukturen Quanteneffekte der schwachen Lokalisierung und Elektron-Elektron-Wechselwirkung nachgewiesen werden. Diese Phänomene führen bei tiefen Temperaturen zu einem Widerstandsanstieg mit sinkender Temperatur. Grund für dieses Verhalten sind die geringen Abmessungen der Probe und eine stark gestörte innere Struktur der Nanodrähte. Damit erscheint die Assemblierung von nanoskaligen Strukturen auf einem biologischen Template als realistisches Konzept zur Untersuchung von Quantenphänomenen kleinster Strukturen.

Für derzeitige, industriell hergestellte Solarmodule werden Leistungsgarantien von 20 bis 25 Jahren gegeben. Das hat hohen Ansprüchen bezüglich ihrer Zuverlässigkeit, welche sich über ihre Effizienzabnahme pro Jahr definiert, zur Folge. Die Einführung neuer Technologien, wie z.B. die der PERC- (passivated emitter and rear cell) als Ersatz für die bislang dominierende BSF-Technologie (back surface field) hat eine umfangreiche Änderung der Metallisierung der Solarzellen nach sich gezogen, wodurch neue Degradationseffekte auftreten können. In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden die einzelnen Komponenten der Solarzellenmetallisierung und –verschaltung in Bezug auf ihren Beitrag zur Degradation untersucht. Die dafür notwendige beschleunigte Alterung erfolgte mittels Temperaturwechselbelastung zwischen -40 °C und +85 °C. Unterstützt durch die numerische Simulation konnte die Degradation der Rückseitenmetallisierung und Zellverschaltung im Detail charakterisiert und Lösungen zur Reduktion der Leistungsabnahme abgeleitet werden. Erstmals wurde dabei der Einfluss der AgAl-Legierung und des Druckkontaktwiderstandes auf den Serienwiderstand der Solarmodule untersucht.

In numerous Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria as well as in Archaea SL proteins form the outermost layer of the cell envelope. SL (glyco)monomers self-assemble with oblique (p2), tetragonal (p4), or hexagonal (p3, p6) symmetries [12]. SL subunits interact with each other and with the underlying cell surface by relatively weak non-covalent forces such as hydrogen-bonds, ionic bonds, salt-bridges or hydrophobic interactions. This makes them easy to isolate by applying chaotropic agents like urea and guanidine hydrochloride (GuHCl), chelating chemicals, or by changing the pH of the environment [10]. Upon dialysis in an ambient buffer monomers recrystallize into regular arrays that possess the forms of flat sheets, open ended cylinders, or spheres on solid substrates, at air-water intefaces and on lipid films, making them appealing for nanobiotechnological applications [3, 18]. The aim of this study was to investigate the structure, thermal stability, in vivo self-assembly process, recrystallization and metallization of three different recombinant SL proteins (SslA-eGFP, mSbsC-eGFP and S13240-eGFP) expressed in yeast S. cerevisiae BY4741 which could be further used in nanobiotechnological applications. In order to fulfill this aim, I investigated the in vivo expression of SL proteins (SslA, SbsC, S13240) tagged with eGFP (SL-eGFP) in the yeast S. cerevisiae BY4141. First, I characterized the heterologous expression of SL fusion constructs with growth and fluorescence measurements combined with Western blot analyses. Fluorescence microscopy investigations of overnight grown cultures showed that SslA-eGFP fusion protein was expressed as fluorescent patches, mSbsC-eGFP as tubular networks, and S13240-eGFP as hollow-like fibrillar network structures, while eGFP did not show any distinct structure Thermal stability of in vivo expressed SL-eGFP fusion proteins were investigated by fluorescence microscopy and immunodetection. In vivo self-assembly kinetics during mitosis and meiosis was the second main issue. In parallel, association of in vivo mSbsC-eGFP structures with the cellular components was of interest. A network of tubular structures in the cytosol of the transformed yeast cells that did not colocalize with microtubules or the actin cytoskeleton was observed. Time-resolved analysis of the formation of these structures during vegetative growth and sporulation was investigated by live fluorescence microscopy. While in meiosis ascospores seemed to receive assembled structures from the diploid cells, during mitosis surface layer structures were formed de novo in the buds. Surface layer assembly always started with the appearance of a dot-like structure in the cytoplasm, suggesting a single nucleation point. In order to get these in vivo SL assemblies stably outside the cells (in situ), cell distruption experiments were conducted. The tubular structures formed by the protein in vivo were retained upon bursting the cells by osmotic shock; however their average length was decreased. During dialysis, monomers obtained by treatment with chaotropic agents recrystallized again to form tube-like structures. This process was strictly dependent on calcium ions, with an optimal concentration of 10 mM. Further increase of the Ca2+ concentration resulted in multiple non-productive nucleation points. It was further shown that the lengths of the S-layer assemblies increased with time and could be controlled by pH. After 48 hours the average length at pH 9.0 was 4.13 µm compared to 2.69 µm at pH 5.5. Successful chemical deposition of platinum indicates the potential of recrystallized mSbsC-eGFP structures for nanobiotechnological applications. For example, such metalized protein nanotubes could be used in conductive nanocircuit technologies as nanowires.

Die Entwicklung der Mikroelektronik wird durch eine fortschreitende Miniaturisierung der Bauelemente geprägt. Infolge einer Reduzierung der Querschnittflächen von Leitbahnstrukturen erhöht sich die elektrische Leistungsdichte und das Metallisierungssystem bestimmt zunehmend die Übertragungsgeschwindigkeiten. Kupfer repräsentiert hierbei das verbreitetste Leitbahnmaterial und wird vorwiegend mittels elektrochemischer Abscheidung in vergrabene Damaszen-Strukturen eingebracht. Die vorliegende Dissertation beschreibt Möglichkeiten für eine Optimierung von Kupferleitbahnen für höchstintegrierte Schaltkreise. Von besonderem Interesse sind hierbei die Gefügequalität und der Reinheitsgrad. Es erfolgen umfangreiche werkstoffanalytische und elektrochemische Untersuchungen zur Charakterisierung von Depositionsmechanismen, des Einbaus von Fremdstoffen, des Mikrogefüges nach der Abscheidung und der Mikrogefügeumwandlung. In einem abschließenden Forschungsschwerpunkt werden Kupfer-Damaszen-Teststrukturen mit unterschiedlichen Gehalten nichtmetallischer Verunreinigungen hergestellt und entsprechenden Lebensdauerexperimenten unterzogen. Hierdurch gelingt eine Evaluierung des Einflusses jener Verunreinigungen auf die Elektromigrationsbeständigkeit von Kupferleitbahnen. Die Arbeit umfasst daher das gesamte Spektrum von der Grundlagenforschung bis zur Applikation von elektrochemisch abgeschiedenen Kupferdünnschichtmetallisierungen.