Fundamental mechanisms of oxygen plasma-induced damage of ultralow-k organosilicate materials: The role of thermal 3P atomic oxygen

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and ab initio density functional theory-based molecular dynamics simulations demonstrate fundamental mechanisms for CH3 abstraction from organosilicate films by thermal O(P-3). Ex situ FTIR analysis demonstrates that film exposure to thermal O(P-3) yields chemical changes similar to O-2 plasma exposure. In situ XPS indicates that exposure to thermal O(P-3) yields O/OH incorporation in the organosilicate film concurrent with carbon loss from the surface region. These results are consistent with simulations indicating specific low kinetic barrier (< 0.1 eV) reactions resulting in concurrent Si-C bond scission and Si-O bond formation.