Low-K interlevel dielectric materials and method of forming low-K interlevel dielectric layers and structures

1. A composition, comprising:

a resin;

polymeric nano-particles dispersed in said resin, each said polymeric nano-particle comprising a multi-arm core polymer and pendent polymers attached to said multi-arm core polymer, said multi-arm core polymer immiscible with said resin and said pendent polymers miscible with said resin; and

a solvent, said solvent volatile at a first temperature, said resin cross-linkable at a second temperature, said polymeric nano-particle decomposable at a third temperature, said third temperature higher than said second temperature, said second temperature higher than said first temperature.

2. The composition of claim 1 , wherein said polymeric nano-particles comprise between about 10% by weight and about 65% by weight of all solids in said composition.

3. The composition of claim 1 , wherein said polymeric nano-particles are thermally stable to at least about 200° C.

4. The composition of claim 1 , wherein said polymeric nano-particles thermally decompose at a temperature below about 450° C.

5. The composition of claim 1 , wherein said polymeric nano-particles thermally decompose between about 200° C. and about 450° C.

6. The composition of claim 1 , wherein said multi-arm core polymer of each said polymeric nano-particle comprises a polystyrene or substituted polystyrene star molecule having multiple polystyrene branches, each branch terminating in either one of said pendent polymers or a hydroxyl group.

7. The composition of claim 1 , wherein said pendent polymers are selected from the group consisting of linear poly(alkyleneglycol), poly(alkylene glycol methacrylate), poly (methyl methacrylate), poly(acrylamide), poly(methacrylamide), poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) and combinations thereof.

8. The composition of claim 1 , wherein said resin comprises —(SiO 2 ) n —, —(R′SiO 3/2 ) n —, —(R′ 2 SiO) n — or —(R″Si 2 O 3 ) n —, wherein R′ is selected from the group consisting of an alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, an aryl group having 6 to 12 carbon atoms, and a cycloalkyl group having 6 to 12 carbon atoms, and wherein R″ is selected from the group consisting of an alkylene group having 1 to 2 carbon atoms and a cycloalkylene group having 6 to 12 carbon atoms.

9. The composition of claim 1 , wherein said thickness of said layer of said composition shrinks by less than about 2% between heating said layer from said second temperature to said third temperature.

10. The composition of claim 1 , wherein said polymeric nano-particles comprises a polystyrene multi-arm core polymer with each polystyrene arm terminated with a linear polyethylene glycol polymer.

11. The composition of claim 10 , wherein the core of said polystyrene core polymer is a cross-linked polymer of the structure:

where X is between 4 and 50.

12. The composition of claim 10 , wherein herein the core of said polystyrene core polymer comprises a material selected from the group consisting of cross-linked structures derived from divinyl benzene, cross-linked structures derived from polyfunctional olefinically substituted benzene, cross-linked structures derived from naphthalene, and cross-linked structures derived from polynuclear aromatic compounds.

13. The composition of claim 1 , wherein said polymeric nano-particles thermally decompose at a temperature between about 400° C. and about 450° C.

14. The composition of claim 1 , wherein said polymeric nano-particles comprises a polystyrene multi-arm core polymer with each polystyrene arm terminated with a linear polyethylene glycol methacrylate polymer.

15. The composition of claim 14 , wherein said polystyrene core polymer has the structure:

where X is between 4 and 50.

16. The composition of claim 14 , wherein herein the core of said polystyrene core polymer comprises a material selected from the group consisting of cross-linked structures derived from divinyl benzene, cross-linked structures derived from polyfunctional olefinically substituted benzene, cross-linked structures derived from naphthalene, and cross-linked structures derived from polynuclear aromatic compounds.

17. The composition of claim 1 , wherein said resin has the structure:

18. The composition of claim 1 , wherein said resin has the structure:

and

wherein R′ is selected from the group consisting of an alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, an aryl group having 6 to 12 carbon atoms, and a cycloalkyl group having 6 to 12 carbon atoms, and wherein R″ is selected from the group consisting of an alkylene group having 1 to 2 carbon atoms and a cycloalkylene group having 6 to 12 carbon atoms.

19. The composition of claim 1 , wherein said resin has the structure:

and

wherein R′ is selected from the group consisting of an alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, an aryl group having 6 to 12 carbon atoms, and a cycloalkyl group having 6 to 12 carbon atoms, and wherein R″ is selected from the group consisting of an alkylene group having 1 to 2 carbon atoms and a cycloalkylene group having 6 to 12 carbon atoms.

20. The composition of claim 1 , wherein a thickness of a layer of said composition shrinks by less than about 3.5% between heating said layer from said second temperature to said third temperature.