Pyrene fluorescence as a molecular probe of miscibility in organic/inorganic hybrid nanocomposites suitable for microelectronic applications

Abstract

Fluorescence spectroscopy has been used to study the miscibility of methyl silsesquioxane (MSSQ)/poly(methyl methacrylate-co-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) [P(MMA-co-DMAEMA)] hybrid nanocomposites, which are useful in fabricating the next generation of spin-on, ultra-low dielectric constant materials in the microelectronic industries. In this work, we have attached the pyrene group into the PMMA side chains. MSSQ with different amount of initial-SiOH (silanol) endgroups are used to study the effect of endgroup functionality on the phase separation behavior of the hybrid nanocomposites. Pyrene excimer fluorescence results reveal that MSSQ is miscible with P(MMA-co-DMAEMA) only up to 6 wt% P(MMA-co-DMAEMA) loading level, thus establishing an upper limit on local miscibility with MSSQ. As the P(MMA-co-DMAEMA) loading level increases, the excimer to monomer ratios also increase, suggesting that the MSSQ/P(MMA-co-DMAEMA) hybrid nanocomposites move toward greater immiscibility. This ratio approaches that of the neat polymer for domain sizes > 5 nm (SAXS, SANS). The fluorescence results also show that, the lower the amount of initial silanol groups in MSSQ, the greater the immiscibility of the MSSQ and porogen, which ultimately translates into larger pores upon porogen burnout.