Comparative Study of Intrachain versus Interchain Cross-linking on the Mechanical,Thermal and Dielectric Properties of Low-k Polyimide

Polyimide(PI)is widely used in high-frequency communication technology due to its exceptional comprehensive properties.However,traditional PI has a relatively elevated dielectric constant and dielectric loss.Herein,the different cross-linked structures were introduced in PI matrix and conducted a detailed discussion on the influence of cross-linking agent content and cross-linking structure type on the overall performance of PI films.In comparison to the dielectric constant of 2.9 of neat PI,PI with an interchain cross-linking structure containing 2 wt%1,3,5-tris(4-aminophenyl)benzene(TAPB)(interchain-PI-2)exhibited the reduced dielectric constant of 2.55 at 1 MHz.The PI films with intrachain crosslinking structure containing 2 wt%TAPB(intrachain-PI-2)exhibited the lowest dielectric constant of 2.35 and the minimum dielectric loss of0.0075 at 1 MHz.It was due to the more entanglement junctions of intrachain-PI resulting in decreased carrier transport.The thermal expansion coefficients of both interchain-PI and intrachain-PI films were effectively reduced.Moreover,in contrast to interchain-PI films,the intrachain-PI films maintained colorlessness and transparency as the cross-linking agent content increased.This work compared the effects of two different cross-linked structures on the performance of PI films and provided a feasible way to obtain low-k PI films with excellent comprehensive performance for 5G applications.