SBIR Phase I: Ultra Low k Silicon Dioxide Film for Inter-Metal Dielectrics (IMDs) Application

这个小型企业创新研究一期项目将使用逐步耦合聚合工艺来制备低介电常数材料。低介电常数材料是未来半导体制造中低介电常数金属间介质(IMD)材料的重要组成部分。IMDS将通过减少RC时间延迟来提高芯片速度。目前，人们已经研究了有机聚合物(如聚酰胺)和二氧化硅，并论证了将其用作IMD的可行性。该方法通过制备反应性阶梯状聚倍半硅氧烷(LPS)并引入纳米孔径，然后将其转化为低热膨胀、低密度、高热稳定性和良好机械性能的二氧化硅来制备纳米多孔二氧化硅。目标是制造一种k常数为1.8~2.0的超低介电材料。这项工作将对半导体行业的路线图产生更广泛的影响。需要为金属间应用开发介电常数低于二氧化硅的材料：更低的介电常数意味着更低的电容，因此更短的RCA延迟、更快的器件速度、更少的串扰和更低的功耗。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will fabricate low dielectric constant materials by using stepwise coupling polymerization process. Low dielectric constant materials play a key role in the future semiconductor manufacture of low-k dielectric materials as inter-metal dielectrics (IMDs). IMDs will increase chip speed by reducing RC time delays. Currently, organic polymers (e.g. polyamides) and silica have been investigated and the feasibility to be used as IMDs has been demonstrated. The approach will to make nano-porous silicon dioxide by preparing reactive ladder-like polysilsesquioxane (LPS) and introducing nanometer size pores before converting it into silicon dioxide with low thermal expansion, low density, high thermal stability and good mechanical property. The objective will be to make an ultra low dielectric material with a constant k, 1.8~2.0.The broader impacts of this work will be to the semiconductor industry's roadmap. There is a need to develop materials with dielectric constants lower than that of silicon dioxide for inter-metal applications: lower dielectric constants mean lower capacitance and therefore shorter RCA delays, faster device speeds, less cross-talk and less power dissipation.