Ordered two-phase dielectric film, and semiconductor device containing the same

A method of fabricating a porous, low-k dielectric film comprising the steps of:

• (a) coating a suspension of water soluble or water vapor soluble oxide particles with a surface ligand group which is effective in preventing agglomeration of said water soluble or water vapor soluble oxide particles, yet maintains solubility of the oxide particles in said suspension, while separating forming monodispersed SiCOH particles having a particle diameter of from about 1 to about 10 nm;
• (b) adding said coated water soluble or water vapor soluble oxide particles and said monodispersed particles to a solution containing a dielectric binder material having a dielectric constant of about 2.8 or less so as to form a precursor mixture;
• (c) coating said precursor mixture on to a surface of a substrate;
• (d) subjecting said coated precursor mixture to a curing process, said curing process including at least a step which is capable of ordering of said particles in a three-dimensional lattice and a step of forming a crosslinked film;
• (e) removing said coated water soluble or water vapor soluble oxide particles from said crosslinked film so as to form pores in said film;
• and
• (f) annealing said film containing said pores so as to remove residual water and hydroxyl groups from said film, wherein said film comprises a first phase of monodispersed pores having a diameter of from about 1 to about 10 nm that are substantially uniformly spaced apart and are essentially located on sites of a three-dimensional periodic lattice;
• and a second phase surrounding said first phase, wherein said second phase is a solid phase which includes (i) an ordered element that is composed of nanoparticles having a diameter of from about 1 to about 10 nm that are substantially uniformly spaced apart and are essentially arranged on sites of a three-dimensional periodic lattice, and (ii) a disordered element comprised of said binder.