Abstract: A method for depositing a low dielectric constant film on a substrate. The method includes depositing a low dielectric constant film comprising silicon, carbon, oxygen and hydrogen in a chemical vapor deposition chamber. The method further includes exposing the low dielectric constant film to an electron beam having an exposure dose less than about 400 &mgr;C/cm2 at conditions sufficient to increase the hardness of the low dielectric constant film.

Abstract: A method for depositing a low dielectric constant film having a dielectric constant of about 3.0 or less, preferably about 2.5 or less, is provided by reacting a gas mixture including one or more organosilicon compounds and one or more oxidizing gases. In one aspect, the organosilicon compound comprises a hydrocarbon component having one or more unsaturated carbon-carbon bonds, and in another aspect, the gas mixture further comprises one or more aliphatic hydrocarbon compounds having one or more unsaturated carbon-carbon bonds. The low dielectric constant film is post-treated after it is deposited. In one aspect, the post treatment is an electron beam treatment, and in another aspect, the post-treatment is an annealing process.