Patent ID: 7579271

Claim:
A method for forming a semiconductor device comprising: providing a semiconductor substrate with a surface region, the surface region including one or more layers overlying the semiconductor substrate; depositing a SiOCF layer overlying the surface region, the SiOCF layer being a low-dielectric constant layer having an improved mechanical strength; forming a diffusion barrier layer overlying the dielectric layer; forming a conductive layer overlying the diffusion barrier layer; and reducing the thickness of the conductive layer using a chemical-mechanical polishing process, wherein the SiOCF layer being formed by a CVD process that utilizes fluorine as a reactant such that the SiOCF layer has a breakdown voltage higher than a breakdown voltage of a dielectric layer that is formed without fluorine and a leakage current lower than a leakage current of the dielectric layer, the SiOCF layer being associated with a dielectric constant equal or less than 3.3, and a modulus value of about 21 GPa.