Chemically and electrically stabilized polymer films

1. A method of stabilizing a poly(paraxylylene) dielectric thin film after forming the dielectric thin film via transport polymerization, the method comprising:

annealing the dielectric thin film under at least one of a reductive atmosphere and a vacuum at a temperature above a beta-1 to beta-2 phase transition temperature of the dielectric film; and

cooling the dielectric thin film at a rate of 60° C./min or faster to a temperature below the beta-1 to beta-2 phase transition temperature of the dielectric thin film.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein annealing the dielectric film includes annealing the dielectric film in a presence of hydrogen.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the dielectric film is annealed in a mixture of 20% or less hydrogen in the presence of an inert gas.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the inert gas is argon.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dielectric film has a repeat unit of —CF 2 C 6 H 4 CF 2 —.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dielectric film is annealed for a time in a range between approximately 1 and 120 minutes.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the dielectric film is annealed for a time in a range between 3 and 5 minutes on hot plate.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the dielectric film is annealed at a higher temperature than a maximum processing temperature used in later integrated circuit processing steps.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reductive atmosphere includes a mixture of a reductive gas and an inert gas, and wherein the reductive gas has a concentration in the mixture of less than or equal to 20% by volume in the inert gas.

10. A method of stabilizing a poly(paraxylylene). dielectric thin film after forming the dielectric thin film via transport polymerization, the method comprising:

annealing the dielectric thin film under at least one of a reductive atmosphere and a vacuum at a temperature above a reversible solid phase transition temperature of the dielectric film to convert the film from a lower temperature phase to a higher temperature phase, wherein the solid phase transition temperature is higher than a glass transition temperature and lower than a melting temperature; and

cooling the dielectric thin film at a sufficient rate to a temperature below the solid phase transition temperature of the dielectric thin film to trap substantial portions of the film in the higher temperature phase.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the poly(paraxylylene) dielectric thin film has a repeat unit of —CF 2 C 6 H 4 CF 2 —.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein annealing the dielectric film under a reductive atmosphere includes annealing the dielectric film in a presence of hydrogen.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the dielectric film is annealed in a mixture of 20% or less hydrogen in the presence of an inert gas.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the inert gas is argon.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the dielectric film is annealed for a time between approximately 1 and 120 minutes.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the dielectric film is annealed for a time between approximately 3 and 5 minutes on hot plate.

17. The method of claim 10 , wherein the dielectric film is annealed at a higher temperature than a maximum processing temperature used in later integrated circuit processing steps.

18. The method of claim 10 , wherein the solid phase transition is a beta-1 to beta-2 phase transition.

19. The method of claim 10 , wherein the film is cooled at a rate of at least 1° C./second.

20. The method of claim 10 , wherein the film is cooled at a rate of between 1° C./second and 5° C./second.