Low-K Dielectric Aerogel Composite Manufacturing via Ambient Drying
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for manufacturing low-k dielectric aerogel materials are time-consuming, costly, and result in non-uniform structures due to the use of supercritical drying and multiple solvent substitutions, which are not suitable for mass production and are inefficient for preparing high-quality transistor films.
Innovation Solution
A sol-gel technique is used to prepare low-k dielectric inorganic or organic/inorganic aerogel composites by mixing alkoxysilane compounds with a hydrophobically modified alkoxysilane and an organic solvent, followed by hydrolysis, condensation, aging, and high-temperature drying under ambient or sub-ambient pressure, allowing for the impregnation of polymer solutions to form a stable, porous, and lightweight composite material.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If supercritical drying technique is used to prepare aerogel, then cracks in aerogel are prevented, but production time increases and production cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the drying parameters from supercritical conditions to ambient pressure conditions, and modifies the gel composition by adding hydrophobic modified alkoxysilane compounds. These parameter changes allow the aerogel to be dried at ambient pressure without forming cracks, thereby eliminating the need for time-consuming supercritical drying while maintaining structural uniformity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the expensive and time-consuming supercritical drying process with a simple ambient pressure drying process. By using hydrophobic modified alkoxysilane compounds in the gel composition, the patent creates a disposable-like simple drying procedure that achieves the same crack-prevention effect without the high costs and long times of supercritical drying.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple solvent substitutions are performed to prepare aerogel, then cracks in aerogel are prevented, but production time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the multiple solvent substitution steps from the traditional aerogel preparation process. By incorporating hydrophobic modified alkoxysilane compounds during gel formation, the patent directly prevents crack formation during drying, removing the need for repeated solvent substitutions and significantly reducing preparation time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary action by adding hydrophobic modified alkoxysilane compounds to the gel composition before drying. This preliminary modification of the gel structure pre-prevents crack formation during drying, eliminating the need for subsequent solvent substitution steps that would otherwise be required to prevent cracks.
3Manufacturing precision
If supercritical drying technique is used to prepare aerogel, then aerogel with high porosity is obtained, but production cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the drying parameter from supercritical to ambient pressure conditions, and modifies the gel composition parameter by incorporating hydrophobic modified alkoxysilane compounds. These parameter changes maintain high porosity achievement while dramatically reducing production cost by eliminating the need for expensive supercritical drying equipment and operations.
4Stability of the object's composition
If traditional sol-gel process with multiple steps is used to prepare aerogel, then aerogel with stable structure is obtained, but production time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the crack-prevention function and the gel formation process into a single step by incorporating hydrophobic modified alkoxysilane compounds during gel formation. This merging eliminates the need for separate solvent substitution steps, maintaining structure stability while improving production efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent ensures continuity of useful action by having the hydrophobic modified alkoxysilane compounds continuously provide crack prevention throughout the drying process. This continuous protection allows for faster drying at ambient pressure without compromising structure stability, thereby improving production efficiency.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method enables the rapid production of low-k dielectric aerogel materials with uniform structures and improved dielectric properties, reducing production time and cost while avoiding the need for complex drying processes, thus enhancing the efficiency and practicality of aerogel manufacturing for electronic components.
Implementation Method 1
adding an acid catalyst to perform the hydrolysis reaction
Implementation Method 2
adding a basic catalyst to perform the condensation reaction
Implementation Method 3
after a certain period of aging, the gel is able to form a stable three-dimensional network structure
Implementation Method 4
the ambient pressure drying technique is used to dry the solvent of the aerogel system
Implementation Method 5
the supercritical drying technique is used to extract and dry the solvent of the aerogel system
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
Manufacturing a low-K dielectric organic/inorganic aerogel composite material and its application are provided. The manufacturing method comprises: (1) mixing; (2) hydrolysis; (3) condensation; (4) aging; (5) drying; (6) impregnating polymer solution; (7) phase separation and drying; and (8) cross-linking and curing. The manufacturing method can produce a low-K dielectric organic/inorganic aerogel composite material having a high strength. The low-K dielectric aerogel is in a porous structure, and its porosity is higher than 70% and its density is from 0.12 g/cm3 to 0.42 g/cm3. The dielectric property of the low-K dielectric aerogel decreases along with an increase of its porosity, wherein a dielectric constant thereof is from 1.28 to 1.93, and a dielectric loss thereof is from 0.0026 to 0.014. The low-k dielectric aerogel can be used for a dielectric layer in a high-frequency circuit, an insulation layer in a semiconductor device or a microwave circuit in a communication integrated circuit.