Dependence of dielectric constant of SiOCH low-k films on porosity and pore size

Abstract

A simple, clear, and robust numerical approach to calculate dielectric constant of porous organosilicate (SiOCH) based films with arbitrary shaped pores is proposed. The calculations are based on modified Clausius–Mossotti equation and can be applied for the films with wide range of porosity (0.01–0.96) and pore size (0.5–5 nm). The dielectric constants calculated in assumption of preferential localization of CH3 groups on pore wall are in good agreement with the experimentally measured k-values. The advantage of the proposed calculation model is ability to analyze the dependence of dielectric constant on pore size.