Polyhedral oligomeric silsequioxane monolayer as a nanoporous interlayer for preparation of low-k dielectric films

Polyhedral oligomeric silsequioxane (POSS) monomer was fixed to a silicon surface by reacting octakis( glycidyldimethylsiloxy) octasilsesquioxane (OG-POSS) with the OH-terminated silicon surface in the presence of tin (II) chloride. The POSS cage layer then served as a nanoporous interlayer to reduce the dielectric constants of polyimide films on silicon surfaces. The chemical structure and surface morphology of OG-POSS modified silicon surfaces were characterized with XPS. With the introduction of a POSS nanopored interlayer, the dielectric constants of polyimide films were reduced.