The effect of deposition temperatures on the physical and electrical properties of low-k dielectrics was investigated in this work. The low-k films were deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) processes using diethoxymethylsilane (DEMS) as a precursor. Experimental results indicated that the deposition rate, refractive index, dielectric constant (k), and thermal stability were strongly dependent on the deposition temperature. Low-k films with a higher deposition temperature have more Si-C-Si bridge network and have higher hardness, but have the higher dielectric constant. It was also observed that low-k films deposited at a higher temperature display the better electrical and reliability performance in integrated structures. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.