Plasma curing process for porous low-k materials
First Claim
1. A process for making a plasma cured material from an uncured porous dielectric material comprising:
- providing the uncured porous dielectric material produced by a spin-on process, the material having a first dielectric constant, having a first elastic modulus, and having a first hardness, wherein the porous dielectric material is selected from a hydrogen silsesquioxane dielectric material or a mixed hydrogen silsesquioxane/methylsilsesquioxane dielectric material, and the porous dielectric material is not a porous methylsilsesquioxane-based dielectric material;
exposing the uncured porous dielectric material to a plasma; and
plasma curing the uncured porous dielectric material to produce a plasma cured porous dielectric material having a second dielectric constant which is substantially equal to the first dielectric constant, having a second elastic modulus which is greater than the first elastic modulus, and having a second hardness which is greater than the first hardness.
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Abstract
Low dielectric constant porous materials with improved elastic modulus and hardness. The process of making such porous materials involves providing a porous dielectric material and plasma curing the porous dielectric material to produce a plasma cured porous dielectric material. Plasma curing of the porous dielectric material yields a material with improved modulus and hardness. The improvement in elastic modulus is typically greater than or about 50%, more typically greater than or about 100%, and more typically greater than or about 200%. The improvement in hardness is typically greater than or about 50%. The plasma cured porous dielectric material can optionally be post-plasma treated. The post-plasma treatment of the plasma cured porous dielectric material reduces the dielectric constant of the material while maintaining an improved elastic modulus and hardness as compared to the plasma cured porous dielectric material. The post-plasma treated, plasma cured porous dielectric material has a dielectric constant between about 1.1 and about 3.5 and an improved elastic modulus and hardness.
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Citations
34 Claims
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1. A process for making a plasma cured material from an uncured porous dielectric material comprising:
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providing the uncured porous dielectric material produced by a spin-on process, the material having a first dielectric constant, having a first elastic modulus, and having a first hardness, wherein the porous dielectric material is selected from a hydrogen silsesquioxane dielectric material or a mixed hydrogen silsesquioxane/methylsilsesquioxane dielectric material, and the porous dielectric material is not a porous methylsilsesquioxane-based dielectric material;
exposing the uncured porous dielectric material to a plasma; and
plasma curing the uncured porous dielectric material to produce a plasma cured porous dielectric material having a second dielectric constant which is substantially equal to the first dielectric constant, having a second elastic modulus which is greater than the first elastic modulus, and having a second hardness which is greater than the first hardness. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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Specification