Methods for forming microwave tunable composited thin-film dielectric layer
Methods of curing a polymer layer on a substrate using variable microwave frequency are provided herein. In some embodiments, methods of curing a polymer layer on a substrate using variable microwave frequency include (a) forming a first thin-film polymer layer on a substrate, the first thin-film polymer layer including at least one first base dielectric material and at least one microwave tunable material, (b) applying a variable frequency microwave energy to the substrate and the first thin-film polymer layer to heat the substrate and the first thin-film polymer layer to a first temperature, and (c) adjusting the variable frequency microwave energy applied to the substrate and the first thin-film polymer layer to tune at least one material property of the first thin-film polymer layer.
1. A method of of curing a polymer layer on a substrate using variable microwave frequency, comprising:
(a) forming a first thin-film polymer layer on a substrate, the first thin-film polymer layer including at least one first base dielectric material and at least one microwave tunable material;
(b) applying a variable frequency microwave energy to the substrate and the first thin-film polymer layer to heat the substrate and the first thin-film polymer layer to a first temperature; and
(c) adjusting the variable frequency microwave energy applied to the substrate and the first thin-film polymer layer to tune at least two material properties of the first thin-film polymer layer, wherein the at least two material properties tuned include at least one electrical property and at least one thermal-mechanical property, wherein the at least one electrical property is at least one of a k-value, dielectric breakdown, loss factor, or loss tangent, and wherein the at least one thermal-mechanical properties is one of elongation (%), modulus, tensile strength, or thermal conduction,
wherein a second thin-film polymer layer is formed over the first thin-film polymer layer, and wherein the second thin-film polymer layer including at least one first base dielectric material and at least one microwave tunable material, the method further comprising:
applying a variable frequency microwave energy to the second thin-film polymer layer to heat the second thin-film polymer layer to a second temperature; and
adjusting the variable frequency microwave energy applied to the second thin-film polymer layer to tune at least two material properties of the second thin-film polymer layer, wherein the at least two material properties tuned include at least one electrical property and at least one thermal-mechanical property, wherein the at least one electrical property is at least one of a k-value, dielectric breakdown, loss factor, or loss tangent, and wherein the at least one thermal-mechanical properties is one of elongation (%), modulus, tensile strength, or thermal conduction.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one additional material property of the first thin-film polymer layer is further tuned by adjusting different tuning knobs.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of frequency, power, temperature, pressure, waveguide configuration, chamber configuration, or in-chamber microwave distribution is adjusted by different tuning knobs.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one additional material property of the second thin-film polymer layer is further tuned by adjusting different tuning knobs.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the tuning knobs are configured to adjust at least one of frequency, power, temperature, pressure, waveguide configuration, chamber configuration, or in-chamber microwave distribution.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the variable frequency microwave energy is provided at microwave frequencies ranging from about 5.85 GHz to about 6.65 GHz.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first temperature is about 100 degrees to about 200 degrees Celsius.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the first thin-film polymer layer is maintained at the first temperature for a first period of time of about 10 minutes to about 60 minutes.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the variable frequency microwave energy is provided at a sweep rate of about 0.25 microseconds per frequency.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein (a)-(c) are performed within a microwave processing chamber under vacuum.
11. A method of curing a polymer layer on a substrate using variable microwave frequency, comprising:
(a) forming a first thin-film polymer layer on a substrate, the first thin-film polymer layer including at least one first base dielectric material and at least one first microwave tunable material;
(b) applying a variable frequency microwave energy to the substrate and the first thin-film polymer layer to heat the substrate and the first thin-film polymer layer to a first temperature; and
(c) adjusting the variable frequency microwave energy applied to the substrate and the first thin-film polymer layer to tune at least one electrical property of the first thin-film polymer layer, wherein the at least one electrical property tuned includes at one of a k-value, dielectric breakdown, loss factor, or loss tangent;
(d) forming a second thin-film polymer layer on the substrate, the second thin-film polymer layer including at least one second microwave tunable material different from the first microwave tunable material;
(e) applying a second variable frequency microwave energy to the substrate and the second thin-film polymer layer to heat the substrate and the second thin-film polymer layer to a second temperature; and
(f) adjusting the second variable frequency microwave energy applied to the substrate and the second thin-film polymer layer to tune at least one thermal-mechanical property of the first thin-film polymer layer, wherein the at least one thermal-mechanical property tuned includes at least one of elongation (%), modulus, tensile strength, or thermal conduction.