Spin-on glasses are candidates in the microelectronics industry as low dielectric constant insulating layers. Spin-on glasses are very brittle materials. This paper discusses measuremnt problems as relevant to the characterization of a brittle material by the indentation technique. As for all polymeric materials curing temperature is the most important preparation parameter. There is a correlation between hardness. Young's modulus, the onset of cracking with curing temperature. This dependence on curing temperature is alos expressed by the change in Si-H bond density as shown by FTIR data. Life expectancy or aging characteristics were also investigated for these features. As an example results on silsesquioxane spin - on glasses are presented.
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