Application of the protection/deprotection strategy to the science of porous materials

Selective protection of the porosity can be implemented in porous materials processing by using an organic polymer fill. This strategy is employed to protect ultralow-k (ULK) materials during patterning of 250-nm lines and spaces. Structures with significantly less sidewall and trench bottom damage are obtained, proving the potential of this novel approach in materials science. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.