Fullerene based materials for ultra-low-k application

Fullerene-based materials are considered to be a candidate for ultra-low-k material applications. We have incorporated fullerene C60 into a siloxane material by means of the sol-gel method. Thickness of obtained film was investigated by atomic force microscope, dielectric constant was measured by the capacitance-voltage characterization (CV). Interactions between the components within the films were investigated by using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and near edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy. We found that the ratio of carbon, oxygen and silicon atoms within obtained film equals 2.7∶1.9∶1. The microscopic and CV investigations show that the sample's composition is inhomogenous although the fullerene's concentration within the material is low. However, dielectric constant is in the range of 2.3 to 2.5.