Rapid curing of positive tone photosensitive polybenzoxazole based dielectric resin by variable frequency microwave processing

High performance polymer dielectrics such as polyimides and polybenzoxazoles are used for several applications in the semiconductor industry due to their excellent dielectric and thermomechanical properties. However, these materials require curing at high temperatures for long periods of time in order to achieve the desired properties. High temperature exposure for long periods of time can be detrimental to device characteristics and reliability. In this study, rapid low temperature curing of a positive tone photosensitive polybenzoxazole based dielectric resin by variable frequency microwave (VFM) processing was investigated. The chemical changes occurring in the film during the condensation reaction and the percent conversion achieved as a function of cure condition were monitored by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The effectiveness of rapid VFM curing was studied by characterizing the optical, electrical, and thermomechanical properties of VFM cured films with thermally cured films. The thermal stability of cured films was investigated by thermal gravitational analysis (TGA) and mass spectrometry (MS) studies. The results showed that a higher percent conversion and higher thermal stability can be achieved by using VFM processing than can be obtained using conventional thermal curing at the same cure temperature. However, the complete removal of photopackage related residual products requires slow ramp rates and long cure times