Design of Mechanically Reliable ULK Glasses

We show that hyperconnected ULK dielectric glasses incorporating optimal precursor geometries lead to exceptional mechanical stiffness, as well as increasing fracture bond density. Using molecular dynamics and a novel graph theory approach, we predict that hyperconnected precursors with cyclic planar geometries significantly improve the mechanical reliability of these otherwise fragile materials, by not only increasing the network stiffness but also contributing to the fracture energy. Ultimately, we conclude that characterizing the implications of structural elements, such as precursor geometry and network connectivity, on the mechanical and fracture properties is essential for mechanically much more reliable design and integration of ULK dielectric materials.