Anisotropic thermal expansion behavior of thin films of polymethylsilsesquioxane, a spin-on-glass dielectric for high-performance integrated circuits

Thin films of poly(methylsilsesquioxane) (PMSSQ) are candidates for use as interdielectric layers in advanced semiconductor devices with multilayer structures. We prepared thin films of PMSSQ with thicknesses in the range 25.0-1151.0 nm by spin-casting its soluble precursor onto Si and GaAs substrates with native oxide layers and then drying and curing the films under a nitrogen atmosphere at temperatures in the range 250-400 degrees C. The out-of-plane thermal expansion coefficient alpha(perpendicular) of each film was measured over the temperature range 25-200 degrees C using spectroscopic ellipsometry and synchrotron X-ray reflectivity, while the in-plane thermal expansion coefficient alpha(parallel) of each film was determined over the temperature range 25-400 degrees C by residual stress analysis. PMSSQ films cured at higher temperatures exhibited reduced thermal expansion, which is attributed to the denser molecular packing and higher degree of cross-linking that arises at higher temperatures. Surprisingly however, all the PMSSQ films were found to exhibit very strong anisotropic thermal expansion; alpha(perpendicular) and alpha(parallel) of the films were in the ranges 140-329 ppm/ degrees C and 12-29 ppm/ degrees C respectively, depending on the curing temperature. This is the first time that cured PMSSQ thin films have been shown to exhibit anisotropic thermal expansion behavior. This anisotropic thermal expansion of the PMSSQ thin films might be due to the anisotropy of cross-link density in the films, which arises because of a combination of factors: the preferential orientation of methyl groups toward the upper film surface and the preferential network formation in the film plane that occurs during curing of the confined film. In addition, the film electron densities were determined using synchrotron X-ray reflectivity measurements and the film biaxial moduli were obtained using residual stress analysis.     

Porogen approach for the fabrication of plasma-polymerized nanoporous polysiloxane films

Nanoporous polysiloxane films were fabricated by plasma polymerization of hexamethyldisiloxane mixed with cyclohexane under different conditions. The pores were generated through the elimination of carbonaceous aggregates (porogen) by annealing at 600 degrees C. Results of spectroscopic ellipsometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy suggest that not only film porosity but also average pore size depends on the amount of the decomposable porogen. The pore size was controllable in a range between 0.6 and 1.0 nm in radius by proper selection of the substrate temperature and precursor composition.     

Effect of pore size/distribution in TiO2 films on agarose gel electrolyte-based dye-sensitized solar cells

This study develops a simple method to change the distribution of the pore size in a TiO₂ layer, using polyethylene glycol (PEG), while maintaining nearly the same surface area and porosity to clarify how large pores affect the performance of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Specifically, a heating step at 100 °C for a specific duration is added prior to PEG removal and TiO₂ sintering at 400 °C. This process transforms the role of the PEG from a surfactant to a pore generator (porogen) and forms larger pores, depending on the loading and aggregation time for the PEG to gain larger pores. The effect of larger pores in TiO₂ films under 30 % PEG loading, on the performance of an agarose gel electrolyte-based DSSC, was further investigated using the ionic liquid, 1-allyl-3-ethylimidazolium iodide (AEII). The I–V characteristic and the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis show that larger pores readily improve redox couple diffusion in a TiO₂ porous electrode and modify the interface between electrolyte and TiO₂. Using the optimized TiO₂ film with larger pores (30 % PEG loading, 100 °C/60 min), an efficiency of 7.43 % is achieved for the agarose gel electrolyte-based DSSC, which represents a 26.1 % improvement over TiO₂ without the addition of PEG.     

Electrochemically nanopatterned conducting coronas of a conjugated polymer precursor: SPM parameters and polymer composition

Here we describe the formation of precisely controlled corona-type nanopatterns on electroactive polymer precursor films using scanning probe microscopy (SPM) methods. The binary composition of electroactive groups in the polymer triggers the formation of corona-type nanopatterns at particular voltages and tip writing speeds through the electrooxidation of the polymer precursor film. Various parameters such as tip speed and applied bias were explored in the nanopatterning process, and the formation of a conductive nanopattern was investigated using conducting atomic force microscopy (C-AFM). The formation of the nanopattern was attributed to the flow of electrons from the AFM tip to the polymer film in a controlled electric field distribution. We also report a new method to distinguish the polymer composition and distribution of a polymer blend film by characterizing biasing differences in the patterning of a polymer film.     

Synthesis of Microporous Silica Spheres

Spherical microporous silica powders with a narrow size distribution have been prepared by a precipitation technique involving the hydrolysis reaction of a silicon alkoxide in ethanol. The formation of the important microporosity has been investigated following two templating methods: the co-hydrolysis and condensation of two alkoxides, one of which presents porogen function, and the adsorption of an organic compound (glycerol) as the porogen. In both processes, the organic porogen is removed by a simple calcination. In the first method, the addition of more than 20 mol% of the porogen alkoxide, necessary for generating enough microporosity, disturbs completely the condensation process resulting in microporous, nonuniform silica particles of large size distribution. The best result has been obtained with the glycerol method where submicrometer-sized silica spheres with a very narrow size distribution and about 40 vol% porosity have been synthesized. The presence of glycerol during the synthesis considerably affects the precipitation mechanism, resulting in a larger mean particle size. The use of an aggregative growth model has successfully been employed to explain the effect of the porogen during particle formation. The precipitation mechanism of silica involves the aggregation between particles of similar size until a critical size is reached, resulting in a uniform particle size distribution. In the presence of glycerol, it has been shown that a second aggregative growth between still-nucleating primary particles and large particles occurred with increasing reaction time. This second aggregative growth appears at an intermediate stage of the precipitation process and is due to both the precipitation of smaller primary particles and the destabilization of the colloidal stability of the system. This explains why the final particle size reached in this system is larger compared to silica particles synthesized without glycerol and shows how glycerol is incorporated in the silica particles. The synthesis of silica microporous spheres of narrow size distribution, by varying particle size and porosity, should yield a wide range of aqueous silica slurries for particular chemical mechanical polishing applications. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.     

The role of colloid formation,imidization, and aggregation in the structure of BTDA-ODA polyimide films modified with gold

High-temperature polyimide films with metallic gold surfaces can be fabricated by the incorporation of a soluble metal salt into a solution of polyamic acid. Thermal treatment of these solutions produces the polyimide, decomposes the metal salt to metallic gold, and promotes the formation and growth of the metallized surface. What appeared to be a continuous metallic surface was actually composed of large gold aggregates. It is suspected that the formation of colloidal gold during the initial thermal treatment provides precursors to the large metal aggregates. Thermal treatment has been shown to influence the size and distribution of the aggregates. The shape of the aggregates suggests that diffusion-limited aggregation may be responsible for the unique shape of some of the gold aggregates.     

Nanostructure formation in polymer thin films influenced by humidity

The influence of relative humidity (RH) during the film preparation on the surface morphology and on the material distribution of the resulting technical polymer blend films consisting of poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and poly (vinyl butyral) (PVB) is investigated by atomic force microscopy. Both pure polymers and polymer blends with different compositions of PVB/PMMA dissolved in tetrahydrofuran (THF) were used. Polymer films prepared under dry conditions (RH < 20%) are compared with those that have the same polymer composition but were prepared under increased humidity conditions (RH > 80%). The films consisting of the pure polymers showed a nonporous surface morphology for low‐humidity preparation conditions, whereas high‐humidity preparation conditions lead to porous PVB and PMMA films, respectively. These pores are explained as the result of a breath figure formation. In the case of the polymer blend films containing both polymers, porous or phase‐separated surface structures were observed even at low‐humidity conditions. A superposition of the effects of phase separation and breath figure formation is observed in the case of polymer blend films prepared under high‐humidity conditions. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) images taken before and after the treatment with ethanol as a selective solvent for PVB indicate that PMMA is deposited on top of a PVB layer in the case of the low‐humidity preparation process whereas for high‐humidity conditions the silicon substrate is covered with a PMMA film. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

ToF‐SIMS studies of nanoporous PMSSQ materials: kinetics and reactions in the processing of low‐K dielectrics for ULSI applications

Detailed investigations of spin‐on polymethylsilsesquioxane (PMSSQ)‐based low‐K materials were carried out by means of time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF‐SIMS) to identify the reaction kinetics and mechanisms occurring during the manufacturing of nanoporous dielectrics for ULSI applications. Analysis of the static SIMS fingerprints led to the identification of key species related to the PMSSQ oligomers, as well to the observation of features related to the initial functionality of the precursor materials. The intensity variations of the key species with thermal curing reveal the polymerization kinetics of the dielectric precursors. In addition, thermal decomposition and volatilization of the polymethylmethacrylate–dimethylaminoethylmethacrylate copolymer (PMMA‐co‐DMAEMA) porogen was established based on the detection of fragments related to the different moieties of the copolymer molecule. Porogen degradation takes place via cleavage of the DMAEMA co‐monomer at low temperature, followed by volatilization of the residual PMMA‐enriched polymer upon annealing at higher temperature. Several complementary phenomena occurring during the formation of these complex systems can be evaluated by ToF‐SIMS, revealing major features crucial to materials development and the manufacturing of novel low‐dielectric‐constant (K) dielectrics. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Microporous membranes obtained from polypropylene blends with superior permeability properties

A blend of two polypropylene resins, different in molecular structure, one with linear chains and the other with long chain branches, was investigated to develop microporous membranes through melt extrusion (cast film process) followed by film stretching. The branched component significantly affected the row‐nucleated lamellar crystalline structure in the precursor films. The arrangement and orientation of the crystalline and amorphous phases were examined by wide angle X‐ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy methods. It was found that blending of a small amount of a long chain branched polypropylene improved the orientation of the both crystalline and amorphous phases in the precursor films. Annealing, followed by cold and hot stretching were consequently employed to generate and enlarge pores in the films as a result of lamellae separation. SEM micrographs of the surface of the membranes obtained from the blend revealed elongated thin fibrils and a large number of lamellae. The lamellae thickness for the blend was much shorter in comparison to that of the linear PP precursor film. The permeability of the samples to water vapor and N₂ was significantly enhanced (more than twice) for the blend system. The porosity of the blend membrane showed a significant improvement with a value of 53% compared to 41% for the linear PP membrane. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 46: 148–157, 2008     

Imaging thin films of nanoporous low-k dielectrics: comparison between ultramicrotomy and focused ion beam preparations for transmission electron microscopy.

Ultramicrotomy, the technique of cutting nanometers-thin slices of material using a diamond knife, was applied to prepare transmission electron microscope (TEM) specimens of nanoporous poly(methylsilsesquioxane) (PMSSQ) thin films. This technique was compared to focused ion beam (FIB) cross-section preparation to address possible artifacts resulting from deformation of nanoporous microstructure during the sample preparation. It was found that ultramicrotomy is a successful TEM specimen preparation method for nanoporous PMSSQ thin films when combined with low-energy ion milling as a final step. A thick, sacrificial carbon coating was identified as a method of reducing defects from the FIB process which included film shrinkage and pore deformation.     

Poly(methyl silsesquioxane)/amphiphilic block copolymer hybrids and their porous derivatives: Poly(styrene‐block‐acrylic acid) and poly(styrene‐block‐3‐trimethoxysilylpropyl methacrylate)

Porous poly(methyl silsesquioxane) (PMSSQ) films were prepared from PMSSQ/amphiphilic block copolymer (ABC) hybrids, and this was followed by spin coating and multistep baking. The ABCs were poly(styrene‐block‐acrylic acid) (PS‐b‐PAA) and poly(styrene‐block‐3‐trimethoxysilylpropyl methacrylate) (PS‐b‐PMSMA), which were synthesized by living polymerization. The chemical bonding between the ABCs and PMSSQ resulted in significant differences in the morphologies and properties of the hybrids and their porous derivatives. Both intramolecular and intermolecular hydrogen bonding existed in the PMSSQ/PS‐b‐PAA hybrid and led to macrophase separation. Through the modification of the chemical structure from the poly(acrylic acid) segment to PMSMA, covalent bonding between PMSSQ and PMSMA occurred and prevented the macrophase separation and initial pyrolysis of the ABC. Modulated differential scanning calorimetry results also suggested a significant difference in the miscibility of the two hybrid systems. The chemical bonding resulted in higher retardation of the symmetry‐to‐nonsymmetry Si? O? Si structural transformation for PMSSQ/PS‐b‐PMSMA than for PMSSQ/PS‐b‐PAA according to Fourier transform infrared studies. The pore size of the nanoporous thin film from the PMSSQ/PS‐b‐PMSMA hybrid was estimated by transmission electron microscopy to be less than 15 nm. The refractive index and dielectric constant of the prepared porous films decreased from 1.354 to 1.226 and from 2.603 to 1.843 as the PS‐b‐PMSMA loading increased from 0 to 50 wt %, respectively. This study suggests that chemical bonding in hybrid materials plays a significant role in the preparation of low‐dielectric‐constant nanoporous films. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 4466–4477, 2004     

Evolution of Statistical Ensembles of Microdomains on the Surface of Films of Rigid-Chain Polyimide during Thermal Imidization

Statistical ensembles of microdomains formed on the surface of polyimide films based on pyromellitic dianhydride and 2,7-diaminofluorene during thermal imidization were described in terms of the model of reversible aggregation using the electron-microscopic data. Parameters of the statistical distribution were determined for each ensemble depending on the film heating temperature.     

Preparation of epoxy-acrylic latex based on bisphenol F epoxy resin

Bisphenol F based epoxy-acrylic latex with different amount of epoxy resin was successfully prepared by semi-continuous seeded emulsion polymerization. The resulting composite latexes had a narrow size distribution of about 105 nm in diameter. The DSC result showed that the epoxy resin and polyacrylate were grafting copolymerization. The FTIR spectra showed that the epoxy group had been introduced into the epoxy acrylic latex system, and the composite latex could be crosslinked with epoxy hardener at room temperature. The crosslinked composite latex film exhibited a high Tg compared to epoxy-acrylic latexes. The surface of the films with the epoxy resin was regular, and diffused into the polyacrylate phase in the epoxy-acrylic latexes films. Since the curing reactions occurred before latex particle coalescence stage, the surfaces of the cured epoxy-acrylate latex films had a number of interface particle. Compared with the acrylic latex, the thermal stability of the epoxy-acrylate latex was increased, and the stability of the cured film increased with increasing epoxy content.     

Synthesis of Perfluorinated Oxetane and Surface Properties of Its Cationic UV Cured Coating as a Reactive Additive

Perfluorinated oxetane(F-OXE) was synthesized via the ring-opening reaction of epoxy-functionalized oxetane with 2-(perfluorooctyl)ethanol under base-catalysis, and characterized by FTIR and ¹H NMR spectroscopy. The synthesized F-OXE was mixed with a commercial cationic UV curable resin, UVR6110, as a reactive additive at different mass fractions, and UV-irradiation cured in the presence of triphenylsulphonium hexafluoroantimonate as a cationic photoinitiator. The surface property study of cured films indicated that both hydrophobicity and oleophobicity were effectively enhanced by the addition of a small amount of F-OXE. The contact angles of water and 1-bromonaphthalene on the surface of the cured film with 1.0%(mass fraction) F-OXE loading increased from 72° to 106° and from 0° to 76°, respectively, compared with those on the surface of the film without F-OXE addition. The surface tension of UVR6110-F-OXE cured film decreased greatly from 55.6 mN/m of referenced film to 22.9 mN/m. The results from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis confirm the migration and aggregation effect of perfluoroalkyl group to the surface of cured film. For 1%(mass fraction) addition of F-OXE, the relative content of fluorine greatly increased from 0.70%(mass fraction) in the interior of the cured film to 36.73%(mass fraction) at the surface of the cured film, whereas those of carbon and oxygen decreased from 73.29% to 40.96% and from 26.00% to 22.30%, respectively.     

聚苯乙烯-嵌段-聚丁二烯有序多孔膜在可收缩膜上的形变研究和光学性质

利用溶剂散逸自组装法在潮湿的条件下,制备了聚苯乙烯-聚丁二烯嵌段聚合物（PS-b-PB）有序多孔膜。 利用聚乙烯可收缩膜将PS-b-PB多孔膜进行两次收缩,形成小孔径的有序多孔膜。 通过收缩,膜上的孔由圆形变为长方形或者梭形,孔的尺寸从微米级收缩至亚微米级。 利用扫描电子显微镜对膜收缩过程中2种形状产生的机理进行了研究。 结果表明,PS-b-PB结合了聚苯乙烯（PS）和聚丁二烯（PB）两个均聚物的优点,收缩后仍然保持膜结构的平整性,从而将不可见的热场变化转变为可见的光学变化。     

Reactive layer-by-layer films from solutions containing silicic acid and a Ti(IV) complex: preferential incorporation of silica and interactions of the obtained films with hexacyanoferrate anions

The concept of reactive layer-by-layer (LBL) deposition allows the build-up of films containing polycations and oxide particles, namely, silica and poorly crystalline anatase. Because polyelectrolyte multilayer films have been produced from blended polyanions or polycations solutions and since preferential incorporation of one of the partners of the blend has been found in most cases, one should wonder if a preferential polycondensation of either silica or titania should occur when the reactive deposition is performed from a solution containing a precursor of both inorganic species. X-ray photoelectron (XPS) and UV-visible spectroscopies show that the reactive LBL films made from the blend and poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC) incorporate predominantly silica over TiO(2) over the whole molar fraction range of the silicic acic/hydrosoluble Ti(IV) complex. The transparency of the films below 365 nm, corresponding to the band edge of TiO(2), can easily be modulated. The silica/TiO(2) films are all able to bind hexacyanoferrate owing to the presence of the polycation allowing the binding of the oxide particles to the substrate. However, the binding capacity of the film does not scale proportionally to its thickness. The films made from eight dipping cycles showed a sudden decrease in their binding capacity for hexacyanoferrate when the molar fraction of the titanium complex was higher than ～0.6 in the blend. For the same films, electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS) showed marked differences with a change in film composition: the more TiO(2) in the film, the higher the resistance to electron and to mass transfer. Therefore, EIS helps to explain the reduced surface concentration measured by means of cyclic voltammetry for films rich in TiO(2).     

Tuning the optical properties of mesoporous TiO2 films by nanoscale engineering

The optical properties of spin-coated titanium dioxide films have been tuned by introducing mesoscale pores into the inorganic matrix. Differently sized pores were templated using Pluronic triblock copolymers as surfactants in the sol-gel precursor solutions and adjusted by varying the process parameters, such as the polymer concentration, annealing temperature, and time. The change in refractive index observed for different mesoporous anatase films annealed at 350, 400, or 450 °C directly correlates with changes in the pore size. Additionally, the index of refraction is influenced by the film thickness and the density of pores within the films. The band gap of these films is blue-shifted, presumably due to stress the introduction of pores exerts on the inorganic matrix. This study focused on elucidating the effect different templating materials (Pluronic F127 and P123) have on the pore size of the final mesoporous titania film and on understanding the relation of varying the polymer concentration (taking P123 as an example) in the sol-gel solution to the pore density and size in the resultant titania film. Titania thin film samples or corresponding titanium dioxide powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction, cross-section transmission electron microscopy, nitrogen adsorption, ellipsometery, UV/vis spectrometry, and other techniques to understand the interplay between mesoporosity and optical properties.     

丝素褐藻糖胶共混膜的结构与热性能

丝素是蚕丝的主要成分，是人类最早应用的天然蛋白质之一，作为性能优良的天然纤维一直用于纺织行业．近年来，丝素膜由于具有良好的透气透氧性和较少的炎症反应，尤其是对活体组织具有良好的生物相容性的特点，在生物工程和生物医学领域得到广泛地研究，被用作酶的固定化材料和哺乳动物细胞培养的基质、体外组织工程支架和抗凝血材料等．     

Controlled formation of optically reflective and electrically conductive silvered surfaces on polyimide film via a direct ion-exchange self-metallization technique using silver ammonia complex cation as the precursor

Double-surface-silvered polyimide films have been successfully fabricated using silver ammonia complex cation ([Ag(NH3)2]+) as the silver precursor and 3,3',4,4'-benzophenonetetracarboxylic dianhydride/4,4'-oxidianile- (BTDA/ODA-) based poly(amic acid) (PAA) as the polyimide precursor via a direct ion-exchange self-metallization technique. The process has been clarified to involve the loading of silver(I) into PAA via ion exchange, the thermally induced reduction of silver(I) to silver(0) and the concomitant imidization of PAA to polyimide upon thermal treatment, the subsequent silver-catalyzed and oxygen-assisted decomposition of the polyimide overlayer, and the self-accelerated aggregation of silver clusters on the film surface to produce well-defined surface silver layers. By employing [Ag(NH3)2]+ solution with a concentration of only 0.01 M and an ion-exchange time of no more than 10 min, the controlled formation of highly reflective and conductive silver surfaces upon thermal treatment at 300 degrees C for less than 4.5 h indicates that the present work provides an efficient route and an effacious silver species for polyimide surface metallization. Although the alkaline characteristics of [Ag(NH3)2]+ have a strong hydrolysis effect on the polyimide precursor chains, the final metallized films retain the key mechanical and thermal properties of the pure polyimide. Films were characterized by ATR-FTIR, XPS, ICP-AES, SEM, TEM, DSC, TGA, reflectivity, conductivity, and mechanical measurements.     

Size effects on miscibility and glass transition temperature of binary polymer blend films

After determining the size dependent miscibility of binary polymer blend films using molecular dynamics simulation and thermodynamics, the size dependent glass transition temperatures Tg(w,D) of several polymer blend films in miscible ranges are determined by computer simulation and the Fox equation where w is the weight fraction of the second component and D denotes thickness of films. The Tg(w,D) function of a thin film can decrease or increase as D decreases depending on their surface or interface states. The computer simulation results are consistent with available experimental results and theoretical results for polymer blend films of PPO/PS [poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide)/polystyrene] and stereoregular PMMA/PEO [poly(methyl methacrylate)/poly(ethylene oxide)]. The physical background of the above results is related to the root of mean square displacement of thin films in their different regions.