In this study, fluorine-modified organosilicate glass (F-OSG) films were deposited by using a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique on 3MS/O-2/SiF4 mixtures to change deposition temperatures. The films were characterized by using reflectometer data, Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The authors found that film deposition rates and fluorine contents in the F-OSG films decreased while the deposition temperature increased; moreover, negative apparent activation energies for film deposition were also observed, suggesting a deposition process dominated by surface adsorption/desorption reactions. In addition, the authors also investigated the effects of Si-C and Si-F bonding on the dielectric breakdown and leakage mechanism of the F-OSG films. They found that high and two-step breakdown voltage of the F-OSG films relative to that of the OSG films can be highlighted as a consequence of the structural change accompanied by the incorporation of fluorine, and hence the leakage current behavior of F-OSG in low field conduction is well explained by the Schottky emission. (c) 2006 American Vacuum Society.