Alkoxysilane/organic polymer composition for thin insulating film production and use thereof

• US 6,448,331 B1
• Filed: 11/12/1999
• Issued: 09/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Asahi Kasei Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Asahi Kasei Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Tanabe, Tsuneaki, Ioka, Takaaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore, Margaret G.
• Application Number:
  US09/423,798
• Time in Patent Office: 1,033 Days
• Field of Search: 524/859, 524/858, 525/903, 525/464, 525/474, 525/419, 501/82, 501/53, 427/226, 427/387, 438/781, 423/339, 423/335, 428/412, 428/447, 428/448, 528/39, 528/29, 528/26, 528/10
• US Class Current: 524/859
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 2270/00 Compositions for creating interpenetrating networks
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 2383/02 Polysilicates
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 2383/04 Polysiloxanes
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 5/18 Manufacture of films or sheets
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2666/02 Organic macromolecular compounds, natural resins, waxes or and bituminous materials
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 83/02 Polysilicates
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 83/04 Polysiloxanes
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 183/12 containing polyether sequences
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 183/14 in which at least two but not all the silicon atoms are connected by linkages other than oxygen atoms C09D183/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02126 the material containing Si, O, and at least one of H, N, C, F, or other non-metal elements, e.g. SiOC, SiOC:H or SiONC
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02203 the layer being porous
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02216 the compound being a molecule comprising at least one silicon-oxygen bond and the compound having hydrogen or an organic group attached to the silicon or oxygen, e.g. a siloxane
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02282 liquid deposition, e.g. spin-coating, sol-gel techniques, spray coating
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02337 treatment by exposure to a gas or vapour
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02359 treatment to change the surface groups of the insulating layer
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/3122 layers comprising polysiloxane compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/316 composed of oxides or glassy oxides or oxide based glass
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/31695 Deposition of porous oxides or porous glassy oxides or oxide based porous glass
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 525/903 Interpenetrating network
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31507 Of polycarbonate
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31663 : As siloxane, silicone or silane

Abstract

Disclosed is an alkoxysilane/organic polymer composition for use in producing an insulating thin film, comprising (A) a specific alkoxysilane; (B) a specific organic polymer; and (C) a solvent for alkoxysilane (A) and organic polymer (B), wherein solvent (C) comprises at least one organic solvent selected from the group consisting of amide linkage-containing organic solvents and ester linkage-containing organic solvents. Also disclosed are a silica-organic polymer composite thin film which is produced by a process comprising: forming a thin film of the composition of the present invention; subjecting the thin film to a hydrolysis and dehydration-condensation reaction with respect to the alkoxysilane thereof, to thereby cause the alkoxysilane to be gelled in the thin film; and removing the solvent remaining in the thin film by drying, and a porous silica thin film which is obtained by removing the organic polymer from the silica-organic polymer composite thin film. Both of the silica-organic polymer composite thin film and the porous silica thin film have advantages not only in that these thin films have a low dielectric constant suitable for insulating layers for a multilevel interconnect for a semiconductor device, but also in that these thin films can be produced by a method which can be easily performed in the current process for producing a semiconductor device.

Claims

1. An alkoxysilane/organic polymer composition for use in producing an insulating thin film, comprising:

(A) at least one alkoxysilane selected from the group consisting of (1) tetraalkoxysilanes, (2) trialkoxysilanes, (3) dialkoxysilanes, (4) monoalkoxysilanes and (5) trialkoxysilane dimers, respectively, represented by the following formulae (1), (2), (3), (4) and (5);

2. The composition according to claim 1, wherein said alkoxysilane (A) is a mixture of at least one tetraalkoxysilane (1) and at least one alkoxysilane selected from the group consisting of said alkoxysilanes (2) to (5).

3. The composition according to claim 1, wherein said alkoxysilane (A) is at least one trialkoxysilane (2), or a mixture of at least one trialkoxysilane (2) and at least one alkoxysilane selected from the group consisting of said alkoxysilanes (1) and (3) to (5).

4. The composition according claim 1, wherein said solvent (C) further comprises at least one alcohol.

5. The composition according to claim 1, wherein said organic polymer (B) is an aliphatic polyether comprising a polyalkylene glycol having C₂-C₁₂ ether group-containing recurring units and having a number average molecular weight of from 200 to 1,000,000.

6. The composition according to claim 1, wherein said organic polymer (B) is present in an amount of from 0.1 to 10 in terms of a weight ratio relative to the amount of a product obtained by subjecting the entire amount of said alkoxysilane (A) to a hydrolysis and dehydration-condensation reaction.

7. A silica-organic polymer composite thin film, which is produced by a process comprising:

forming a thin film of the composition of claim 1;

subjecting said thin film to a hydrolysis and dehydration-condensation reaction with respect to said alkoxysilane (A) thereof, to thereby cause said alkoxysilane (A) to be gelled in said thin film, wherein said organic polymer (B) is dispersed in said thin film substantially in the form of moleculer chains; and

removing said solvent (C) remaining in said thin film by drying.

8. The silica-organic polymer composite thin film according to claim 7, which has a thickness of from 0.1 to 100 μ

m.

9. The silica-organic polymer composite thin film according to claim 7, which is transparent to visible rays having a wavelength of from 0.4 to 0.7 μ

m.

10. A multilevel interconnect comprising a plurality of insulating layers and circuits formed on said insulating layers, wherein at least one layer of said insulating layers comprises the silica-organic polymer composite thin film of claim 7.

11. A semiconductor device comprising the multilevel interconnect of claim 10.

12. The silica-organic polymer composite thin film according to claim 7, which is for use as at least one layer of a plurality of insulating layers for a multilevel interconnect, wherein said interconnect comprises said plurality of insulating layers and circuits formed on said insulating layers.

13. A process for producing a porous silica thin film, comprising removing the organic polymer from the silica-organic polymer composite thin film of claim 7 by calcining said composite thin film at a temperature of not higher than 450°

C. in an inert gas and wherein, when the alkoxysilane (A) is a tetraalkoxysilane (1), treating a pore surface of said porous silica thin film with a silylating agent.

14. The process according to claim 13, wherein said porous silica thin film has an average pore diameter of from 1 to 500 nm.