Characterization of material properties of low temperature curing polymer dielectrics

Mechanical properties are typically used as a first-order comparison of different thin film microelectronic polymers. Tensile testing is commonly used to determine such mechanical properties (i.e. Young's modulus, % elongation, tensile strength). Having accurate values generated under known, standardized test conditions is therefore an important consideration. We have found that the method of sample preparation and fixturing during test, gage length (length of the sample under test), testing system, and test methodology can have a significant impact on the mechanical property measurements that are derived from tensile testing. This study focuses on low curing temperature (~ 200°C) polymers and the determination of their mechanical properties using a uniform testing approach to eliminate sample preparation and testing variations. We find the values for Young's modulus and % elongation when done by different manufacturers, using different test systems and methodologies, can vary significantly from those reported herein.