Mechanical properties of low dielectric-constant organic-inorganic hybrids

Spin-on glasses, generated by the condensation of an organic-inorganic hybrid silsesquioxane (SSQ), have great potential as low dielectric-constant semiconductor interconnection materials. After curing and condensation SSQ materials consist of an amorphous, inorganic, -Si-O-Si-bridging network with organic, non-bridging -Si-R side groups. Relative dielectric constants in the range 2.5-3.3 are obtained for SSQ materials, depending on the curing conditions, and compare with 4.0 for conventionally-used fused silica. The non-bridging side groups significantly disrupt the SSQ network-occupying more than 25% of the Si bonds-and lead to materials that are considerably less stiff, hard and tough than fused silica. Perhaps more importantly, SSQ materials have thermal expansion coefficients greater than that of the intended Si substrate and therefore finish curing in a state of residual tension, leading to a susceptibility to stress-corrosion cracking. In this paper the development of thermomechanical properties during curing of SSQ spin-on glasses is considered and related to the driving force for film cracking deriving from the residual tension. Various crack suppression schemes involving mechanisms both intrinsic and extrinsic to the base SSQ are discussed.