Systematic positron study of hydrophilicity of the internal pore surface in ordered low-k silica thin films

Grand canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) and canonical ensemble molecular dynamics (NVT-MD) simulations were performed to investigate water adsorption properties in mesoporous silica thin films. The effect of pore radius on the adsorption properties was assessed using two models of mesoporous silica thin films having different pore radius and film thickness (1.38 and 5.66 nm in Model 1, respectively, and 1.81 and 7.30 nm in Model 2, respectively). In the simulations, a water adsorption layer or water menisci were formed in a mesopore accompanying the growth or shrinkage of stable adsorption layers on the upper and lower surfaces. The stable two water adsorption layers were formed on the pore surface in both models. The curvature radius of a water meniscus decreased monotonically and approached a constant value. In addition, NVT-MD simulations were performed to investigate the kinetics of water uptake into a model of mesoporous silica thin film having a radius and thickness of 1.38 and 7.93 nm (Model 3). The calculation results showed that the kinetics of water uptake depended on the number of water molecules and there were two different transport mechanisms in the pore. One was diffusion of water along the pore surface, and the other was capillary rise of liquid water.

Download Full-text

Relationships between the solution and solid-state properties of solution-cast low-k silica thin films

Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics ◽

10.1039/c6cp04166c ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 18 (30) ◽

pp. 20371-20380 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Chao-Ching Chiang ◽

Chien-You Su ◽

An-Chih Yang ◽

Ting-Yu Wang ◽

Wen-Ya Lee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Thin Films ◽

Solid State ◽

Physical Properties ◽

Amorphous Silica ◽

Morphological Features ◽

Silica Thin Films ◽

Different Types ◽

Solution Cast ◽

Low K

This paper reports on the fabrication of low-k (amorphous) silica thin films cast from solutions without and with two different types of surfactants (TWEEN® 80 and Triton™ X-100) to elucidate the relationships between the structural/morphological features of the casting solutions and the physical properties of the resulting thin films.

Download Full-text

Nanoindentation Measurements on Low-k Porous Silica Thin Films Spin Coated on Silicon Substrates

Journal of Engineering Materials and Technology ◽

10.1115/1.1605109 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 125 (4) ◽

pp. 361-367 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Xiaoqin Huang ◽

Assimina A. Pelegri

Keyword(s):

Thin Film ◽

Thin Films ◽

Mechanical Properties ◽

Young’S Modulus ◽

Microelectromechanical Systems ◽

Young's Modulus ◽

Porous Silica ◽

Silicon Substrates ◽

Silica Thin Films ◽

Low K

MEMS (MicroElectroMechanical Systems) are composed of thin films and composite nanomaterials. Although the mechanical properties of their constituent materials play an important role in controlling their quality, reliability, and lifetime, they are often found to be different from their bulk counterparts. In this paper, low-k porous silica thin films spin coated on silicon substrates are studied. The roughness of spin-on coated porous silica films is analyzed with in-situ imaging and their mechanical properties are determined using nanoindentation. A Berkovich type nanoindenter, of a 142.3 deg total included angle, is used and continuous measurements of force and displacements are acquired. It is shown, that the measured results of hardness and Young’s modulus of these films depend on penetration depth. Furthermore, the film’s mechanical properties are influenced by the properties of the substrate, and the reproduction of the force versus displacement curves depends on the quality of the thin film. The hardness of the studied low-k spin coated silica thin film is measured as 0.35∼0.41 GPa and the Young’s modulus is determined as 2.74∼2.94 GPa.

Download Full-text

Vapor phase preparations of mesoporous silica thin films for ultra-low-k dielectrics

Recent Progress in Mesostructured Materials - Proceedings of the 5th International Mesostructured Materials Symposium (IMMS2006), Shanghai, P.R. China, August 5-7, 2006 - Studies in Surface Science and Catalysis ◽

10.1016/s0167-2991(07)80392-2 ◽

2007 ◽

pp. 595-598

Author(s):

Shunsuke Tanaka ◽

Takanori Maruo ◽

Norikazu Nishiyama ◽

Korekazu Ueyarna ◽

Hugh W. Hillhouse

Keyword(s):

Thin Films ◽

Mesoporous Silica ◽

Vapor Phase ◽

Silica Thin Films ◽

Low K

Download Full-text

Finite-Element Modeling and Quantitative Measurement Using Scanning Microwave Microscopy to Characterize Dielectric Films

10.31399/asm.cp.istfa2018p0561 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

K. A. Rubin ◽

W. Jolley ◽

Y. Yang

Keyword(s):

Thin Films ◽

Dielectric Film ◽

Dielectric Constants ◽

Dielectric Films ◽

Silicon Substrates ◽

Fem Modeling ◽

Dielectric Thin Films ◽

Microwave Microscopy ◽

Scanning Microwave Microscopy ◽

Low K

Abstract Scanning Microwave Impedance Microscopy (sMIM) can be used to characterize dielectric thin films and to quantitatively discern film thickness differences. FEM modeling of the sMIM response provides understanding of how to connect the measured sMIM signals to the underlying properties of the dielectric film and its substrate. Modeling shows that sMIM can be used to characterize a range of dielectric film thicknesses spanning both low-k and medium-k dielectric constants. A model system consisting of SiO2 thin films of various thickness on silicon substrates is used to illustrate the technique experimentally.

Download Full-text

Monomer methylmethacrylate (MMA) incorporated hybrid low-k thin films

Electronic Materials Letters ◽

10.1007/s13391-013-2183-6 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 9 (6) ◽

pp. 723-728 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Bhavana N. Joshi ◽

A. M. Mahajan

Keyword(s):

Thin Films ◽

Low K

Download Full-text

Studies of the Coefficient of Thermal Expansion of Low-k ILD Materials by X-Ray Reflectivity

MRS Proceedings ◽

10.1557/proc-0914-f11-02 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 914 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

George Andrew Antonelli ◽

Tran M. Phung ◽

Clay D. Mortensen ◽

David Johnson ◽

Michael D. Goodner ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Thin Films ◽

Thermal Expansion ◽

Coefficient Of Thermal Expansion ◽

Chemical Vapor ◽

Dielectric Materials ◽

Free Standing ◽

Dielectric Thin Films ◽

X Ray ◽

Chemical Vapor Deposited ◽

Low K

AbstractThe electrical and mechanical properties of low-k dielectric materials have received a great deal of attention in recent years; however, measurements of thermal properties such as the coefficient of thermal expansion remain minimal. This absence of data is due in part to the limited number of experimental techniques capable of measuring this parameter. Even when data does exist, it has generally not been collected on samples of a thickness relevant to current and future integrated processes. We present a procedure for using x-ray reflectivity to measure the coefficient of thermal expansion of sub-micron dielectric thin films. In particular, we elucidate the thin film mechanics required to extract this parameter for a supported film as opposed to a free-standing film. Results of measurements for a series of plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposited and spin-on low-k dielectric thin films will be provided and compared.

Download Full-text