Patent US7011868B2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US7011868B2
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Fluorine-free plasma curing process for porous low-k materials
Assignee: JSR Corp
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Filing: 2003-07-24
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Granted: 2006-03-14
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Expires: 2023-07-24
Abstract
Abstract Low dielectric constant porous materials with improved elastic modulus and material hardness. The process of making such porous materials involves providing a porous dielectric material and plasma curing the porous dielectric material with a fluorine-free plasma gas to produce a fluorine-free plasma cured porous dielectric material. Fluorine-free plasma curing of the porous dielectric material yields a material with improved modulus and material hardness, and with comparable dielectric constant. The improvement in elastic modulus is typically greater than or about 50%, and more typically greater than or about 100%. The improvement in material hardness is typically greater than or about 50%. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract which will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims 37 CFR §1.72(b).
Inventors
- 👤 Carlo Waldfried
- 👤 Qingyuan Han
- 👤 Orlando Escorcia
- 👤 Ralph Albano
- 👤 Ivan L. Berry, III
- 👤 Atsushi Shiota
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 09:22
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10P; H10P95/00; H10P50/00; C; C01; C01B; C01B33/00; C01B33/113; C01B33/12; C01B33/126; C23; C23C; C23C16/00; C23C16/56; H01; H01B; H01B3/00; H01B3/18; H01B3/30; H01B3/46; H10P14/00; H10P14/60; H10P14/65; H10P14/6516; H10P14/6529; H10P14/6532; H10P14/66; H10P14/668; H10P14/6681; H10P14/6684; H10P14/6686; H10P50/20; H10P50/28; H10P50/282; H10P50/283; H10P50/286; H10P50/287; H10P14/63; H10P14/6326; H10P14/6328; H10P14/6334; H10P14/6336; H10P14/6342; H10P14/665; H10P14/69; H10P14/692; H10P14/6921; H10P14/6922; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/31504; Y10T428/31652; Y10T428/31663
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 22
Claim 1
Independent Claim
128 words
A process for making a fluorine-free plasma cured material comprising: providing an uncured Si-containing porous dielectric material having a first dielectric constant, having a first elastic modulus, and having a first material hardness; exposing the uncured Si-containing porous dielectric material to a fluorine-free plasma gas; and plasma curing the uncured Si-containing porous dielectric material with fluorine-free plasma gas to produce a plasma cured porous dielectric material having a second dielectric constant which is less than or about equal to the first dielectric constant, having a second elastic modulus which is greater than the first elastic modulus, and having a second material hardness which is greater than the first material hardness, wherein the fluorine-free plasma gas comprises a combination of CH 4 plasma gas and N 2 plasma gas.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
128 words
A process for making a fluorine-free plasma cured material comprising: providing an uncured Si-containing porous dielectric material having a first dielectric constant, having a first elastic modulus, and having a first material hardness; exposing the uncured Si-containing porous dielectric material to a fluorine-free plasma gas; and plasma curing the uncured Si-containing porous dielectric material with fluorine-free plasma gas to produce a plasma cured porous dielectric material having a second dielectric constant which is less than or about equal to the first dielectric constant, having a second elastic modulus which is greater than the first elastic modulus, and having a second material hardness which is greater than the first material hardness, wherein the fluorine-free plasma gas comprises a combination of CH 4 plasma gas and N 2 plasma gas.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
27 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the uncured Si-containing porous dielectric material is selected from an organic dielectric material, an inorganic dielectric material, or a combination thereof.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
28 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the uncured Si-containing porous dielectric material is selected from a hydrogen silsesquioxane dielectric material, a methylsilsesquioxane dielectric material, or a combination thereof.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
38 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the uncured Si-containing porous dielectric material is produced by depositing a dielectric coating on a substrate using a spin-on process or a chemical vapor deposition process, and forming pores in the coating.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
35 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the uncured Si-containing porous dielectric material is selected from a porogen-generated porous dielectric material, a solvent-formed porous dielectric material, a molecular engineered porous dielectric material, or a combination thereof.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
24 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the uncured Si-containing porous dielectric material is plasma cured at a temperature less than or about 450° C.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
26 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the uncured Si-containing porous dielectric material is plasma cured at a temperature between about 250° C. and about 450° C.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
27 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the uncured Si-containing porous dielectric material is plasma cured at a process pressure between about 1.0 Torr and about 5.0 Torr.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
24 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the uncured Si-containing porous dielectric material is plasma cured for a time less than or about 180 seconds.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
16 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the fluorine-free plasma gas further comprises H 2 plasma gas.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
15 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the fluorine-free plasma gas further comprises a noble gas.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
18 words
The process of claim 11 wherein the noble gas is selected from He, Ar, Ne, or combinations thereof.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
32 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the fluorine-free plasma gas defines a gas ratio of CH 4 to N 2 , and wherein the gas ratio is about 0.01 to about 0.05.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
41 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the increase in elastic modulus between the first elastic modulus of the uncured Si-containing porous dielectric material and the second elastic modulus of the plasma cured porous dielectric material is greater than or about 50%.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
41 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the increase in elastic modulus between the first elastic modulus of the uncured Si-containing porous dielectric material and the second elastic modulus of the plasma cured porous dielectric material is greater than or about 100%.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
24 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the second elastic modulus of the plasma cured porous dielectric material is greater than or about 3 GPa.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
26 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the second elastic modulus of the plasma cured porous dielectric material is between about 3 GPa and about 10 GPa.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
41 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the increase in material hardness between the first material hardness of the uncured Si-containing porous dielectric material and the second material hardness of the plasma cured porous dielectric material is greater than or about 50%.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
24 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the second material hardness of the plasma cured porous dielectric material is greater than or about 0.3 GPa.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
26 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the second material hardness of the plasma cured porous dielectric material is between about 0.5 GPa and about 1.0 GPa.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
32 words
The process of claim 1 wherein a level of outgassing of the plasma cured porous dielectric material is significantly reduced or eliminated as compared to a thermal cured Si-containing porous dielectric material.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2009-03-13 | 2009-09-12 | 2010-03-14 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2013-03-13 | 2013-09-12 | 2014-03-14 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2017-03-13 | 2017-09-12 | 2018-03-14 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |