forming a precursor layer on a substrate, said precursor layer including a resin, polymeric nano-particles dispersed in said resin, and a solvent, each said polymeric nano-particle comprising a multi-arm core polymer and pendent polymers attached to said multi-arm core polymer, said multi-arm core polymer immiscible with said resin and said pendent polymers miscible with said resin;

heating said precursor layer to a first temperature, said first temperature high enough to drive said solvent out of said precursor layer without decomposing more than about 0.5% said polymeric nano-particles, to form a pre-baked precursor layer;

heating said pre-baked precursor layer to a second temperature, said second temperature high enough to cross-link at least about 90% of said resin without decomposing more than about 5% of said polymeric nano-particles, thereby converting said pre-baked precursor layer to a dielectric layer, said second temperature higher than said first temperature;

after said heating said pre-baked precursor layer to a second temperature, forming trenches in said dielectric layer and filling said trenches with an electrical conductor;

after said filling said trenches with an electrical conductor, heating said dielectric layer to a third temperature, said third temperature high enough to thermally decompose at least about 99.5% of said polymeric nano-particles into decomposition products and to drive said decomposition products out of said dielectric layer, thereby creating voids in said dielectric layer and converting said dielectric layer to a porous dielectric layer, said third temperature higher than said second temperature;

wherein said polymeric nano-particles comprise between about 10% by weight and about 65% by weight of all solids in said composition;

wherein said first temperature is less than about 100° C., said second temperature is less than about 350° C. and said third temperature is less than about 450° C.;

wherein a thickness of said porous dielectric layer after said heating to said third temperature is within about 2% of a thickness of said dielectric layer after said heating to said second temperature;

wherein said dielectric layer has a Young's modulus of at least about 3.6 GPa and wherein said porous dielectric layer has a permittivity of 2.4 or less and a Young's modulus of at least about 0.8 GPa;

wherein said multi-arm core polymer of each said polymeric nano-particle comprises a polystyrene or substituted polystyrene star molecule having multiple polystyrene branches, each branch terminating in either one of said pendent polymers or a hydroxyl group;

wherein said pendent polymers are selected from the group consisting of linear poly(alkyleneglycol), poly(alkylene glycol methacrylate), poly (methyl methacrylate), poly(acrylamide), poly(methacrylamide), poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) and combinations thereof; and

wherein said resin comprises —(SiO₂)n-, —(R′SiO_3/2)n-, —(R′₂SiO)n- or —(R″Si₂O₃)n-, wherein R′ is selected from the group consisting of an alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, an aryl group having 6 to 12 carbon atoms, and a cycloalkyl group having 6 to 12 carbon atoms, and wherein R″ is selected from the group consisting of an alkylene group having 1 to 2 carbon atoms and a cycloalkylene group having 6 to 12 carbon atoms.