Submilisecond laser anneal has been experimentally investigated for porogen removal and its ability to improve the mechanical strength in oxycarbosilane ultra low-k films compromised due to the introduction of porosity. We report the occurrence of extensive bond rearrangements inferred from Fourier-transform infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopy, elastic recoil detection (ERD) and spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) in the energy range of 1.4???8 eV. The laser anneal affects most notably the organic content of the organosilicate matrix leading to depletion and reorganization. Nevertheless, the tested conditions reveal a processing window which allows for 13% improvement of Young's modulus as compared to the reference film, annealed in a conventional furnace at 400??C for 2 h, while not impacting the relative dielectric constant of 2.25.
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