A study on electrical and mechanical properties of hybrid-polymer thin films by a controlled TEOS bubbling ratio

• Published in: Applied surface science Vol. 254; no. 23; pp. 7817 - 7820
• Main Authors: Cho, S.-J., Bae, I.-S., Jeong, H.-D., Boo, J.-H.
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 30-09-2008; Elsevier
• Subjects: Chemical vapor deposition (including plasma-enhanced cvd, mocvd, etc.); Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Electrical and mechanical properties; Electrical properties of specific thin films; Electronic structure and electrical properties of surfaces, interfaces, thin films and low-dimensional structures; Exact sciences and technology; low- k; Materials science; Mechanical and acoustical properties; Methods of deposition of films and coatings; film growth and epitaxy; Organic–inorganic hybrid-polymer thin film; PECVD; Physical properties of thin films, nonelectronic; Physics; Polymers; organic compounds; Surfaces and interfaces; thin films and whiskers (structure and nonelectronic properties); Electrical and mechanical properties; low- k; PECVD; Organic–inorganic hybrid-polymer thin film; Hydrogen; Polymer films; Organic silane; Leakage currents; Hardness; Precursor; Film growth; Bubbling; Thin films; Young modulus; low-k; Organic-inorganic hybrid-polymer thin film; Capacitance; Argon; Permittivity; Current density
• ISSN: 0169-4332; 1873-5584
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apsusc.2008.02.095

Organic–inorganic hybrid-polymer thin films were deposited on silicon(1
0
0) substrates at room temperature by PECVD (plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition). Ethylcyclohexane and TEOS (tetraethoxysilane) were utilized as organic and inorganic precursors with hydrogen gas for the ethylcyclohexane bubbler and argon gas for both the TEOS bubbler and as a carrier gas. To compare the electrical and the mechanical properties of the plasma polymerized thin films, we grew the hybrid-polymer thin films under conditions of various TEOS bubbling ratios. MTS nano-indenter was used to measure the hardness and Young's modulus and showed that these values increased as the TEOS bubbling ratio increased, with the highest hardness at 0.8
GPa in this experiment. An impedance analyzer was utilized for the measurements of
I–
V curves and capacitance, showing the lowest dielectric constant at approximately 1.83, with a leakage current density of 10
−8
A/cm
2 at 1
MV/cm, respectively.