AVS 46th International Symposium
    Manufacturing Science and Technology Group Monday Sessions
       Session MS-MoA

Paper MS-MoA3
High-integrity Ultra-thin Silicon Nitride Film Grown by Plasma Nitridation of Silicon Surface at Low-temperature for Giga Scale Devices

Monday, October 25, 1999, 2:40 pm, Room 611

Session: Ultra-Clean Society and Contamination Free Manufacturing
Presenter: K. Sekine, Tohoku University, Japan
Authors: K. Sekine, Tohoku University, Japan
Y. Saito, Tohoku University, Japan
M. Hirayama, Tohoku University, Japan
T. Ohmi, Tohoku University, Japan
Correspondent: Click to Email
The progress of MOSLSI technology has been based on the shrinking of MOSFET's. Along with downsizing MOSFET's for more than 25 years, the gate oxide equivalent thickness of MOSFET's has continued to be reduced. Since the invention of MOS device, thermally grown silicon oxide, the prevailing gate dielectric for Si based MOS devices, processes remarkable electrical properties that are unmatched by other materials. However, transistor scaling is driving gate oxide equivalent thickness to 3 nm and below, when direct tunneling current becomes significant. Ultra thin silicon oxide below 3 nm is not expected to be robust enough for future transistor gate dielectric application. In order to continue downsizing MOSFET's, thermally grown silicon oxide will be replaced by higher dielectric-constant films, for example Ta@sub 2@O@sub 5@ and Si@sub 3@N@sub 4@. A radial line slot antenna (RLSA) high-density plasma system can form high-integrity silicon nitride film at a temperature of 400 °C. We focus attention on electrical properties of ultra-thin silicon nitride films grown by radial line slot antenna high-density plasma system at a temperature of 400°C as an advanced gate dielectric film. The results show low density of interface trap and bulk charge, lower leakage current than jet vapor deposition silicon nitride and thermally grown silicon oxide with same equivalent oxide thickness. Furthermore, they represent high breakdown field intensity, almost no stress-induced leakage current, very little trap generation even in high-field stress, and excellent resistance to boron penetration and oxidation.