Molecular design of fullerene-based ultralow-k dielectrics

This paper presents results of a theoretical study of hypothetical insulating layers for semi-conducting circuits. The dielectric material consists of C-60 fullerenes interconnected by bridge molecules. The structural optimisation is carried out using quantum-chemical methods. The predicted materials have ultralow values of the static dielectric constant of about k = 1.5 and good elastic bulk moduli of B = 12 to 17 GPa. These values meet the demands of future microelectronic devices. (c) 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.