Interconnects between increasingly dense packed devices on microchips must be insulated from each other by improved performance insulators to overcome the RC time constant problem and avoid current leakage. This can be achieved by replacing currently used dense silica by nanoporous silica to decrease the dielectric constant k and hence improve the insulating abilities. However, inorganic silica shows a high affinity to water, which is a strongly limiting factor regarding the low k properties. Further improvements can be achieved by the incorporation of hydrophobic organic groups into the material, which can also serve to improve the mechanical properties.
展开▼
