IUVSTA 15th International Vacuum Congress (IVC-15), AVS 48th International Symposium (AVS-48), 11th International Conference on Solid Surfaces (ICSS-11)
    Plasma Science Monday Sessions
       Session PS1-MoA

Invited Paper PS1-MoA8
Plasma Chemistry, Plasma-surface Interaction, and Surface Reactions during a-Si:H and a-SiN@sub x@:H Deposition

Monday, October 29, 2001, 4:20 pm, Room 103

Session: Plasma-Surface Interactions I
Presenter: W.M.M. Kessels, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands
Authors: W.M.M. Kessels, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands
E.R. Fisher, Colorado State University
E.S. Aydil, University of California, Santa Barbara
M.C.M. van de Sanden, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands
Correspondent: Click to Email
Insight into the growth mechanism of plasma deposited materials is essential for full optimization and complete exploitation of the opportunities of plasma assisted deposition. Unraveling the growth mechanism requires investigation of the three different aspects of the deposition process: the plasma chemistry, the plasma-surface interaction, and the surface reactions converting surface species into bulk film. In this presentation, these three aspects will be considered and illustrated by studies on the radical dominated deposition process of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) and silicon nitride (a-SiN@sub x@:H). From mass spectrometry and spectroscopic studies, the plasma species and their production and loss mechanism in plasmas of SiH@sub 4@ and mixtures with N@sub 2@ and NH@sub 3@ will be considered. From the density of the different species in the plasma their contribution to film growth has been determined. The surface reactivity and the reactions of the SiH@sub x@ and NH@sub x@ radicals on the surface will be treated as investigated by the laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) based "imaging of radicals interacting with surfaces" (IRIS) technique and the newly developed time-resolved cavity ring down spectroscopy (@tau@-CRDS). The nature of the surface during deposition and its connection with the surface reactions will be discussed using in situ attenuated total reflection infrared (ATR-FTIR) measurements of the chemisorbed SiH@sub x@ and NH@sub x@ surface hydrides. From the combination of results and the relations with the material properties, the kinetic growth models of the materials will be reviewed and further refined and extended.