Understanding leakage current susceptibility in dielectrics using molecular modeling

Dielectric materials are universally used in the fabrication and packaging of transistors in microelectronics and displays, as well as used in discrete devices such as sensors, switches and photovoltaics. However, as device and interconnect sizes become smaller, the question of the source of electrical failure becomes more and more important. During the development of these materials it has been found that small changes in the molecular structure can lead to small increases in conductivity which is undesirable for most applications. Although important to the final commercial acceptance of the dielectric, leakage current is often one of the final properties measured when developing the chemistry of the dielectric, so a dielectric with very good mechanical properties can ultimately fail at customer due to the electrical properties. Knowledge of the susceptibility for electrical failure can be a great aid to the developer.