Electron-beam curing of a low dielectric constant polymer was investigated as an alternative process to conventional thermal curing for microelectronic interconnection applications. Electron-beam irradiation was used to cross-link polynorbornene, which was formulated so that no thermal cross-linking occurred. It was found that the electron-beam exposure made the polymer solvent resistant, and improved surface planarity in a multilayer structure. Further, it was also shown that electron-beam curing resulted in films with properties similar to those of thermally treated films. The degree of cross-linking was estimated.