A low dielectric constant polyimide/polyoxometalate composite

A silane‐modified mono‐lacunary Keggin‐type polyoxometalate (POM), (Bu₄N)₄[SiW₁₁O₃₉{(CH₂?CH? Si)₂O}] (SiW₁₁? CH?CH₂), was obtained by reaction of vinyltrimethoxysilane with K₈(SiW₁₁O₃₉) in acidic MeCN/H₂O mixed solutions. Then, the modified polyoxometalate was physically blended with the pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA)‐4,4′‐oxydianiline (ODA) poly(amic acid) and the blends were thermally imidized to form polyimide/ polyoxometalate composites. The X‐ray diffraction (XRD) analysis indicates that the polyoxometalate clusters cannot form crystalline structures in the composite, suggesting that the blending leads to improved compatibility between the polymer matrix and the modified polyoxometalate. The EDS (W‐mapping) studies on the composite films reveal that the polyoxometalate clusters are well dispersed in the polyimide matrix. The physical incorporation of modified POM into polyimide remarkably reduced the dielectric constant of the latter from 3.29 to 2.05 when 20 wt% of SiW₁₁? CH?CH₂ was used. Besides, the addition of the modified POM into polyimide increased the storage modulus of polyimide without severely affecting its thermal properties. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Preparation of polyimide/BaTiO3‐nanocrystal hybrid thin films and their dielectric property

High dielectric constant is highly desirable in capacitors and memory devices. In this work, oleic acid (OA)‐capped BaTiO₃ nanocrystals were synthesized by a two‐phase approach. Polyimide (PI)/BaTiO₃‐nanocrystal composite thin films with high dielectric constant have been successfully fabricated. The morphologies and dielectric properties of the hybrid films were exploited. The results showed that BaTiO₃ nanocrystals can be uniformly dispersed in the PI thin films owing to the surface modification of OA‐capped BaTiO₃ nanocrystals. It was found that the dielectric constant of composite film varies with the volume fraction of BaTiO₃ nanocrystals and sintering temperatures and reaches a maximum value of 44.1, which is around 13 times higher than that of pristine PI thin film (3.2). These results demonstrated that PI/BaTiO₃‐nanocrystal composite films have considerable application potential in microelectronic fields.     

Controllable porous fluorinated polyimide thin films for ultralow dielectric constant interlayer dielectric applications

In this paper, silica microspheres were used as template to prepare porous fluorinated polyimide (FPI) thin films from polyamic acid (PAA, precursor of FPI) and silica colloid solution. The strong hydrogen-bonding interaction between silica microspheres and PAA chains have improved the dispersion of silica microspheres in N,N-Dimethylformamide (DMF) solution, resulting in the high weight content of silica template in PAA/silica colloid solution, and thus giving rise to the formation of porous FPI films with maximum porosity of 35%. The interior microstructures of the resultant porous FPI thin films were investigated. It is found that the porous FPI thin films have interconnected “ink-bottle-type” porous structure, and the pore size, porosity could be precisely controlled by the diameter and weight content of silica microspheres, respectively. Although both the tensile strength and young modules declined with the increasing porosity, the high level void of the porous FPI films endowed the FPI ultralow dielectric constant of 1.84 when the porosity increased to 35%. Furthermore, the mechanical and dielectric properties of the porous FPI films were closely related to the microstructures and porosity, indicating the desired properties could be controlled to meet the application in the microelectronics.     

Preparation, structure and properties of porous polyimide films via PAA/PU alloy

A new route to porous polyimide (PI) films with pore sizes in the nanometer regime was developed. A polyamic acid (PAA)/polyurethane (PU) blend with PU as the disperse phase was first prepared via in situ polymerization of pyromellitic dianhydride and 4,4-oxydianiline in PU solutions. Porous PI films were obtained from PAA/PU films by thermolysis of PU at 360°C and imidization of PAA at 300°C, respectively. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermal gravimetric analysis were used to detect the imidization and thermolysis processes of PAA/PU blends under thermal treatment. The microporous structure of the PI films was observed by transmission electron microscopy. It was found that the size and content of pores increased with an increase in the PU mass fraction in the PAA/PU blend up to 20%. Because of the existence of nanopores, the dielectric constant of PI films decreased by a wide margin and was less than 2.0 at a PU mass fraction of 20%. It implies that this is an effective means to reduce the dielectric constant of PI, but it also causes the decrease of tensile strength and the rise of water absorption. Translated from Chemistry Journal of Chinese Universities 2006, 27(1): (in Chinese)     

Synthesis and properties of ultralow dielectric porous polyimide films containing adamantane

A series of novel ultralow dielectric porous polyimide (PI) films containing adamantane groups was prepared via the thermolysis of polyethylene glycol (PEG) oligomers mixed into PI matrix. Scanning electron microscopy results indicated that the porous PI films showed closed pores with an average diameter of 120 ± 10 nm. Good thermal properties with 5% weight loss temperature of 499 °C in air atmosphere and glass transition temperature in excess of 310 °C were shown for porous PI films. Notably, the ultralow dielectric constant of porous PI films with 1.85 at 1 MHz was obtained and revealed via broadband dielectric spectroscopy. The effects of the chemical structure of the PI matrix and PEG content on the decomposition behavior of PEG and the performance of porous films were investigated. Wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction results indicated that the PI matrix with large d‐spacing generated weaker interactions between the PEG and PI backbone than those of PI matrix with small d‐spacing. As a result, the PEG for the PI matrix with large d‐spacing was completely decomposed. As indicated by the broadband dielectric spectroscopy results, lower dielectric porous PI films were prepared when the PEG contents in the PI matrix increased from 0 to 20 wt %. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018 , 56, 549–559     

Octahedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (OAPS and OG) - Polyimide hybrid nanocomposite films: Thermo-mechanical,dielectric and morphology properties

Abstract

The nano-sized SQS based polyimides have been successfully synthesized with different oxide groups such as phosphineoxide, sulfone and siloxane as in the backbone of polymer. The SQS-Polyimide nanocomposites prepared through the condensation process using amine and epoxy functionalized SQS as precursor. The presence of SQS in the resulting polyimide nanocomposites was confirmed by FTIR and XRD analyses. The presence of SQS and greatly enhances the char yield to an extent of 16% when compared to that of neat polyimide. The incorporation of SQS into polyimide lowered the value of dielectric constant from 3.31 to 2.09 at 1?MHz and the value of thermal expansion coefficient from 56.6 to 42.7?ppm/K. The composites sample prepared using 20?wt% SQS possess the lowest value of dielectric constant and CTE value. The hydrophobic nature of SQS contributes to lower the water uptake of composites from a value of 2.76 (neat polyimide) to 2.42 for POS-PI containing 20?wt% SQS. Further, the SQS polyimide composite systems possess the enhanced values of thermal stability and glass transition temperatures according their percentage weight. Data obtained from different studies, it is suggested that these hybrid composites can be used as an effective insulation materials for high performance microelectronics applications.     

Chain orientation and anisotropies in optical and dielectric properties in thin films of stiff polyimides

Thin films of poly(p-phenylene biphenyltetracarboximide) (BPDA-PDA), prepared by thermal imidization of the precursor poly(amic acid) on substrates, have been investigated by optical waveguide, ultraviolet-visible (UV-VIS), infrared (IR), and dielectric spectroscopies. The polyimide films exhibit an extraordinarily large anisotropy in the refractive indices with the in-plane index n_∥ = 1.806 and the out-of-plane index n_⊥ = 1.589 at 1064 nm wavelength. No discernible effect of the film thickness on this optical anisotropy is found between films of ca. 2.1 and ca. 7.8 μm thickness. This large birefringence is attributed to the preferential orientation of the biphenyltetracarboximide moieties with their planes parallel to the film surface, coupled with the strong preference of BPDA-PDA chains to align along the film plane. The frequency dispersion of the in-plane refractive index n_∥ is consistent with the results calculated by the Lorentz–Lorenz equation from the UV-visible spectrum exhibiting several absorption bands in the 170–500 nm region. The contribution from the IR absorption in the range 7000–400 cm,^?1 computed by the Spitzer-Kleinmann dispersion relations from the measured spectra, adds ca. 0.046 to the in-plane refractive index n_∥. Tilt-angle–dependent polarized IR results indicate nearly the same increase for the out-of-plane index n_⊥. Application of the Maxwell relation then leads to the out-of-plane dielectric constant ε^⊥ ? 2.7 at 1.2 × 10¹³ Hz, as compared with the measured value of ca. 3.0 at 10⁶ Hz. Assuming this small difference to remain the same for the in-plane dielectric constants ε_∥, we obtain a very large anisotropy in the dielectric properties of these polyimide films with the estimated in-plane dielectric constant ε_∥ ? 3.4 at 1.2 × 10¹³ Hz, and ε_∥ ? 3.7 at 10⁶ Hz. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Novel Soluble Polyimide Containing 4-tert-Butyltoluene Moiety: Synthesis and Characterization

Based on the synthesis of a rigid aromatic diamine, α,α‐bis(4‐aminophenyl)‐4‐(t‐butyl)toluene ( 1 ), a novel polyimide (PI) 3 was prepared from this diamine monomer and 4,4′‐oxydiphthalic dianhydride via a one‐step high‐temperature polycondensation. FT‐IR, ¹H NMR and elemental analysis were used to investigate the chemical structures of 1 and 3 . The results confirmed that they agreed with the proposed structures for both 1 and 3 completely. The obtained PI 3 showed excellent solubility in most common solvents such as N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidinone, N,N‐dimethylacetamide, N,N‐dimethylformamide, chloroform, dichloromethane and tetrahydrofuran. The resulting strong and flexible film exhibited high thermal stability with the glass transition temperature at 317°C and the temperature at 10% weight loss beyond 519°C in both air and nitrogen atmospheres. Moreover, the film also showed high optical transparency, low dielectric constant (3.13 at 1 MHz), low water absorption (0.40%) and hydrophobic character.     

Effects of alicyclic moiety incorporation on the properties of polyimide/silica hybrid films

Polyimide (PI)/silica hybrid films were prepared from tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) using a sol‐gel process as well as pyromellitic dianhydride and 4,4‐oxydianiline. 1,4‐Cyclohexanedicarboxylic acid (1,4‐CHDA) was added as a coupling agent. The PI/silica hybrid films were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction. The thermal, tensile and dielectric properties of the hybrid films were measured. The results showed that the tensile and dielectric properties of the hybrid films improved with increasing silica concentration and 1,4‐CHDA content in the PI matrix. Covalent ester bonds were formed between SiOH groups of silica and carboxyl groups of 1,4‐CHDA. As a result, the silica particle size was reduced and dispersed homogeneously in the PI matrix, leading to increased tensile strength and tensile modulus of the typical hybrid film with 1,4‐CHDA (PI‐2), when compared with the PI/silica hybrid film without 1,4‐CHDA at the same silica contents. The presence of an alicyclic moiety containing silica in PI reduced the dielectric constant considerably to 2.83, which was lower than that of pristine PI. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of droplet size on the dielectric properties of PDLC films

Polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) films (5CB/PMMA, 60/40) of different droplet size were prepared by a solvent-induced phase separation method under different N₂ flow speeds. The effects of droplet size on the thermal transitions of the LC and various dielectric properties such as dielectric constant, conductance, dielectric loss, and the electric field induced in a droplet were examined. The configuration of the LC in the film with smaller droplets can be identified by comparing the dielectric constant of the film with the one predicted by Boettcher's mixture formula. In addition, the effect of droplet size on the electro-optical response of the PDLC film was investigated. Variations of the conductance and the dielectric constant of the film were analyzed under various AC frequencies, with the purpose of elucidating the polarization mechanism of the LC molecules in the droplet. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 35 : 1373–1381, 1997     

Phthalonitrile‐containing aromatic polyimide thin films with nano‐actuation properties

Polymer films of some polyimides containing pendant phthalonitrile groups were prepared by casting the corresponding poly(amic acid) solutions onto glass plates, followed by thermal imidization under controlled temperature conditions. The poly(amic acid)s were synthesized by polycondensation reaction of 4,4′‐diamino‐4″‐(3,4‐dicyanophenoxy)triphenylmethane, 1, or of different amounts of 1 and 4,4′‐bis(4‐aminophenoxybiphenyl), with two aromatic dianhydrides, 4,4′‐oxydiphthalic anhydride or benzophenone‐3,3′,4,4′‐tetracarboxylic dianhydride. Most of the films were flexible and tough and exhibited high thermal stability, having the initial decomposition temperature above 400 °C. Dynamic mechanical analysis and dielectric spectroscopy revealed the influence of phthalonitrile group content on the relaxation processes of polyimides. The values of the dielectric constant at 10 kHz and 20 °C were in the range of 3.25–3.61. The films exhibited nano‐actuation in the range of 240–480 nm, depending on the phthalonitrile group content, when an electric voltage was applied on their surface. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Structural, dielectric and thermal properties of TlH2AsO4

Structural (at room temperature) and dielectric and thermal properties of TlH²AsO₄ have been studied as functions of temperature to understand the existence of its reported phase transition. The space group and cell parameters of the compound were determined. The crystal structure was determined by Patterson and Fourier difference methods and refined by the full-matrix least-squares technique. The structure can be explained in terms of zig-zag chains of H-bonds running along thec-axis. Careful studies on dielectric and thermal properties of the substance do not suggest any ferroelectric phase transitions in it.     

Transparent and soluble polyimide films containing 4,4′‐isopropylidenedicyclohexanol (Cis‐HBPA) units: Preparation,characterization, thermal,mechanical, and dielectric properties

To develop colorless and soluble polyimide films, cis‐hydrogenated bisphenol A (cis‐HBPA) was successfully separated from HBPA isomers, and two novel monomers containing cis‐HBPA unit, 4,4 ′ ‐(4,4 ′ ‐isopropenylbicyclohexyloxy) diphthalic anhydride (HBPADA) and 4,4 ′ ‐(4,4 ′ ‐isopropenylbicyclohexyloxy) dianiline (f) were designed and synthesized. PI–(1 – 5) were achieved from HBPADA and five kinds of aromatic diamines and PI – 6 from HBPADA and semiaromatic diamine f via a two‐step thermal imidization. All the polyimides could afford flexible, tough, and transparent films with transparency as high as 86% at 450 nm. Surprisingly, the polyimides containing cis‐HBPA unit exhibited excellent solubility not only in polar solvents such as N, N‐dimethylacetamide, but also in low boiling solvents such as chloroform and dichloromethane. Additionally, analogues aromatic PI – 7 derived from 4,4 ′ ‐(hexafluoroisopropylidene)‐diphthalic anhydride (6FDA) and 2,2‐bis(4‐aminophenyl)hexafluoropropane (e) was obtained for comparison with PI–(1 – 6) on aspects of thermal, mechanical, soluble, optical, electrical, and morphological properties. The structure‐property relationships of PI–(1 – 7) were investigated in detail. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018 , 56, 2115–2128     

Synergetic effect of thermal conductivity and flame retardancy of cyanate ester composites containing DOPO and BN with great dielectric properties

DOPO and boron nitride (BN) fillers with different particle sizes and several loadings were employed to improve the properties of cyanate ester (CE) resin. The effects of BN content and particle size on the thermal conductivity of the BN‐DOPO/CE ternary composites were discussed. The influence of enhancing the thermal conductivity of the ternary composites on their flame retardancy was studied. The consequences showed that increasing the thermal conductivity of BN‐DOPO/CE composites had an active impact on their flame retardancy. Approving flame retardancy of the ternary composites was certified by the high limiting oxygen index (LOI), UL‐94 rating of V‐0, and low heat release rate (HRR) and total heat release (THR). For instance, in contrast with pure CE matrix, peak of HRR (pk‐HRR), average of HRR (av‐HRR), THR, and average of effective heat of combustion (av‐EHC) of CEP/BN_{0.5 μm}/10 composite were decreased by 51.7%, 33.8%, 18.7%, and 18.9%, respectively. Thermal gravimetry analysis (TGA) showed that the addition of BN fillers improves the thermal stability of the composites. Moreover, the ternary composites possess good dielectric properties. Their dielectric constants (ε) are less than 3, and dielectric loss tangent (tgδ) values are lower than neat CE resin.     

Low dielectric constant nanocomposite thin films based on silica nanoparticle and organic thermosets

Low dielectric constant (low-k) nanocomposite thin films have been prepared by spin coating and thermal cure of solution mixtures of one of two organic low-k thermoset prepolymers and a silica nanoparticle with an average diameter of about 8 nm. The electrical, the mechanical, and the thermomechanical properties of these low-k nanocomposite thin films have been characterized with 4-point probe electrical measurements, nanoindentation measurements with an atomic force microscope, and specular X-ray reflectivity. Addition of the silica nanoparticle to the low-k organic thermosets enhances both the modulus and the hardness and reduces the coefficient of thermal expansion of the resultant nanocomposite thin films. The enhancements in the modulus of the nanocomposite thin films are less than those predicted by the Halpin-Tsai equations, presumably due to the relatively poor interfacial adhesion and/or the aggregation of the hydrophilic silica nanoparticles in the hydrophobic organic thermoset matrices. The addition of the silica nanoparticle to the low-k organic thermoset matrices increases the relative dielectric constant of the resultant nanocomposite thin films. The relative dielectric constant of the nanocomposite thin films has been found to agree fairly well with an additive formula based on the Debye equation. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 1482–1493, 2007     

Lowering the dielectric constant of polyimide thin films by swelling with supercritical carbon dioxide

The swelling with supercritical carbon dioxide (sc‐CO₂) of thin films of polyimides having various structures was investigated. It was shown that the degree of swelling is significantly influenced by the solvent which was used for the synthesis of those polyimides, by the solvent which was used for the preparation of thin films and by the conformational rigidity of the polymers. The presence of hexafluoroisopropylidene groups in the main chain of a polymer prevents its swelling with sc‐CO₂. The best results were obtained for polyimide film ULTEM, based on m‐phenylene‐diamine and isopropylidene‐diphenoxy‐bis(phthalic anhydride), synthesized in benzoic acid, whose free volume increased twice and its dielectric constant decreased from 3.15 to 2.45 by swelling with sc‐CO₂. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Microstructure and properties of 3,3′,4,4′‐biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA)‐p‐phenylene diamine (PDA) polyimide/poly(vinylsilsesquioxane) hybrid nanocomposite films

Hybrid nanocomposite films of poly(vinylsilsesquioxane) (PVSSQ) and polyimide (PI) (PI/PVSSQ) were prepared via sol‐gel process from triethoxyvinylsilane (VSSQ) and thermal imidization from 3,3′,4,4′‐biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA)‐p‐phenylene diamine (PDA) polyamic acid (BPDA‐PDA PAA). We investigated the microstructure; interfacial interaction; and optical, thermal, dielectric, and mechanical properties of the hybrid films. The phase morphologies and degree of surface roughness were evaluated by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM), respectively. It was found that the surface topography was influenced by the composition of PVSSQ. Hydrogen bonding interactions between polyimide (PI) matrix and PVSSQ domains were proved with FT‐IR spectroscopy. The transparency of the hybrid films was found to be dependent on the PVSSQ content. Incorporating of the PVSSQ in the hybrid composites increased the glass transition temperature of PI. Dielectric constants of the hybrid films were in the range of 2.37–3.59. Properties of the PI films were also significantly enhanced by adding 5–30 wt % of PVSSQ. For comparison, we also prepared the hybrid composites of PI and mixtures of VSSQ and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and the PI/silica hybrid composite containing 30 wt % of silica obtained from TEOS. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 5189–5199, 2004     

AC conductivity,structural, and dielectric properties of zinc supported on titanium dioxide: Facile synthesis and DFT calculation

We present a simple and systematic synthesis method of Zn doped TiO₂ (Zn/TiO₂) that is usually prepared with sophisticated preparation procedures. Zn/TiO₂ have been synthesized following a facile and efficient incipient wet impregnation method. The resulting Zn/TiO₂ has been characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, which revealed the successful formation of the anatase phase and traces of the rutile phase. The existence of the rutile phase in smaller proportion was a clear sign of the Zn doping induced anatase-to-rutile phase transition. Sensible enhancement in the dielectric constant due to Zn addition has also been observed from experiment and approximate first-principle calculation. Thus, our results have significant impact on TiO₂ based semiconductor technology.     

Surface engineering of styrene/PEGylated‐fluoroalkyl styrene block copolymer thin films

A series of diblock copolymers prepared from styrenic monomers was synthesized using atom transfer radical polymerization. One block was derived from styrene, whereas the second block was prepared from a styrene modified with an amphiphilic PEGylated‐fluoroalkyl side chain. The surface properties of the resulting polymer films were carefully characterized using dynamic contact angle, XPS, and NEXAFS measurements. The polymer morphology was investigated using atomic force microscope and GISAXS studies. The block copolymers possess surfaces dominated by the fluorinated unit in the dry state and a distinct phase separated microstructure in the thin film. The microstructure of these polymers is strongly influenced by the thin film structure in which it is investigated. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 267–284, 2009     

Morphology of side chain liquid crystalline block copolymer thin films and effects of thermal annealing

The self-assembly behavior of siloxane based side chain liquid crystalline block copolymer thin films are investigated via grazing incidence small angle X-ray scattering and atomic force microscopy. The as-spun films displayed polystyrene cylinders perpendicular to the substrate and the cylinders reoriented parallel to the surface after thermal annealing. The morphology observed in the as-spun films is resultant from the orientation of the smectic LC mesophase relative to the substrate. Annealing above both the polystyrene glass transition temperature and the smectic to isotropic transition temperature eliminates the influence of the LC phase, leading to a reorientation of the morphology that minimizes the interfacial energy of the system. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 3263–3266, 2007