Electrical and mechanical properties of surfactant-templated mesoporous silica thin films using Brij-76 surfactant

Ordered mesoporous silica films using Brij-76 surfactant were prepared from self-assembly of organic-inorganic species and their electrical/mechanical properties were investigated for low-k application. X-ray diffraction pattern revealed highly textured pore structure. Adequate dielectric properties could be realized by controlling the chemical species of silica wall. Porosity of mesoporous silica film was 39 ± 2% and elastic modulus and hardness of the film were 14.4 and 1.25 GPa, respectively. The dielectric constant and leakage current density were measured as 2.55 and less than 2 × 10−6 A/cm2 up to 1.6 MV/cm, respectively.