High-k, Low-k Dielectrics Hit Roadblocks

by Mark LaPedus EE Times, 9 Jun 2006 This week’s International Interconnect Technology Conference (IITC) brought to mind the famous 1951 science fiction movie classic: The Day the Earth Stood Still. Or perhaps IITC was more like a new twist on the classic: The Day the Semiconductor Industry Stood Still. Judging from papers and conversions at the conference here, it was shocking just how little the semiconductor industry has progressed in terms of two critical material technologies -- high-k dielectrics and low-k films -- for use in next-generation chip designs. Read more