Incorporating Niobium in MoS 2 at BEOL‐Compatible Temperatures and its Impact on Copper Diffusion Barrier Performance

The continuous scaling of transistors has led to unprecedented challenges for interconnect technologies. Conventional barriers fail when thinned below 4 nm; therefore, novel materials and back‐end‐of‐line (BEOL) compatible synthesis are urgently needed. 2D transition metal dichalcogenides present a unique opportunity for addressing the scaling of interconnects. Here, nanometer thick Nb‐incorporated MoS 2 is successfully synthesized at BEOL compatible temperatures and their abilities of blocking Cu atom diffusion are investigated. Nb incorporation of MoS 2 is systematically studied at 450 °C and its growth dynamics is compared with those carried out at high temperatures. The addition of a few percent Nb in MoS 2 enhances breakdown time by more than 100×, reaching a failure time >12 500 s under the electric field of 7 MV cm −1 . These results suggest that integration of Nb‐incorporated MoS 2 in electronic technologies is a promising route for the sub‐5 nm technology node.