Polymer dielectrics are widely used in the microelectronics industry for several applications including interlevel dielectrics, encapsulants, and passivating layers. To attain the desired properties, these materials need to be processed via lengthy cure cycles. Variable frequency microwave (VFM) processing has been investigated as a rapid curing alternative for the processing of thin-film dielectrics. Previous studies on epoxies and polyimide-based materials have shown significant reduction in cure time and improvement in properties on VFM processing. In this study, VFM curing of Dow Chemical Cyclotene(TM) 3022 benzocyclobutene (BCB) was investigated. The kinetics of the cure reaction were studied by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. FTIR studies indicated no significant differences in chemical structure between VFM and thermally cured films. The electrical, optical, mechanical, and chemical properties of VTM-processed films were characterized and compared with thermally processed films to determine the effectiveness of microwave processing. The results showed that VFM curing of BCB is feasible, and properties comparable to thermally cured films can be attained. The residual stress of partially cured BCB was lower for VFM processing than for traditional thermal processing. The residual stress in fully cured BCB was similar. Improvements such as shorter cure times and lower processing temperatures than conventional thermal processing can be achieved. (C) 2002 John Wiley Sons, Inc. [References: 24]
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机译：聚合物电介质在微电子工业中被广泛用于多种应用，包括层间电介质，密封剂和钝化层。为了获得所需的性能，需要通过漫长的固化周期来处理这些材料。已经研究了变频微波（VFM）处理作为薄膜电介质处理的一种快速固化替代方法。先前对环氧树脂和聚酰亚胺基材料的研究表明，固化时间显着减少，VFM工艺的性能得到改善。在这项研究中，研究了陶氏化学Cyclotene（TM）3022苯并环丁烯（BCB）的VFM固化。通过傅里叶变换红外光谱（FTIR）研究了固化反应的动力学。 FTIR研究表明，VFM和热固化膜之间的化学结构没有显着差异。对VTM处理过的薄膜的电，光学，机械和化学性质进行了表征，并将其与热处理过的薄膜进行比较，以确定微波处理的有效性。结果表明，BCM的VFM固化是可行的，并且可以获得与热固化膜相当的性能。 VFM处理的部分固化BCB的残余应力低于传统热处理的残余应力。完全固化的BCB中的残余应力相似。与常规热处理相比，可以实现诸如更短的固化时间和更低的处理温度等改进。 （C）2002 John Wiley Sons，Inc. [参考：24]
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