Low-κ dielectric

<p>In <a href="/facts/Semiconductor/zFf3mGTE">semiconductor</a> manufacturing, a low-κ is a material with a small <a href="/facts/Relative_dielectric_constant/vnKbPTn1">relative dielectric constant</a> (κ, <a href="/facts/Kappa/UHoskwDQ">kappa</a>) relative to <a href="/facts/Silicon_dioxide/A3WILp6J">silicon dioxide</a>. Low-κ <a href="/facts/Dielectric/PnVt9P2G">dielectric</a> material implementation is one of several strategies used to allow continued scaling of microelectronic devices, colloquially referred to as extending <a href="/facts/Moore%2527s_law/90CSekhl">Moore's law</a>. In digital <a href="/facts/Electrical_network/zt94kTW0">circuits</a>, insulating dielectrics separate the conducting parts (wire <a href="/facts/Interconnect/3BMeTFXp">interconnects</a> and <a href="/facts/Transistor/Bmr8zwL0">transistors</a>) from one another. As components have scaled and transistors have gotten closer together, the insulating dielectrics have thinned to the point where charge build up and <a href="/facts/Crosstalk/IT2LIwth">crosstalk</a> adversely affect the performance of the device. Replacing the silicon dioxide with a low-κ dielectric of the same thickness reduces <a href="/facts/Parasitic_capacitance/xNHYvmoo">parasitic capacitance</a>, enabling faster switching speeds (in case of <a href="/facts/Synchronous_circuit/k3yddBIN">synchronous circuits</a>) and lower heat dissipation. In conversation such materials may be referred to as "low-k" (spoken "low-kay") rather than "low-κ" (low-kappa).
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Low-κ dielectric open-in-new

Low-κ dielectric