Thermal kinetics of free volume in porous spin-on dielectrics: Exploring the network- and pore-properties

Comprehensive ex-situ and in-situ investigations of thermal curing processes in spin-on ultra-low-k thin films conducted by positron annihilation spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopies are presented. Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy of ex-situ cured samples reveals an onset of the curing process at about 200 ◦C, which advances with increasing curing temperature.