Effect of surfactants on MWCNT-reinforced sol–gel silica dielectric composites

Insufficient bonding between multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and the matrix reduces the effectiveness of MWCNT reinforcements in sol–gel silica dielectric composites. This paper investigates the efficacy of various surfactants in improving the bonding through morphological and mechanical characterization of MWCNT-reinforced sol–gel silica dielectric films. It is found that use of some surfactants while dispersing MWCNTs improves the modulus and hardness. The improved mechanical properties possibly reduce the delamination problem of Cu/low-k films during flip-chip packaging and wirebonding.