IUVSTA 15th International Vacuum Congress (IVC-15), AVS 48th International Symposium (AVS-48), 11th International Conference on Solid Surfaces (ICSS-11)
    Plasma Science Tuesday Sessions
       Session PS2+TF+SE-TuA

Paper PS2+TF+SE-TuA5
Study of SiO@sub x@N@sub y@ Films Deposited by Radio-Frequency Plasma Assisted Electron Cyclotron Resonance

Tuesday, October 30, 2001, 3:20 pm, Room 104

Session: PECVD/IPVD
Presenter: J.D. Brewer, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Authors: J.D. Brewer, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
A. Raveh, NRCN Division of Chemistry, Israel
E.A. Irene, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Correspondent: Click to Email
New techniques for the development of higher dielectric constant materials as a passivation layer of silicon remains a challenge. To this end, a radio-frequency (RF) plasma process, in combination with an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma, was employed at low pressures (100-1000 mTorr) and low substrate temperatures (100-300°C) to grow silicon oxynitride thin films on p-type Si (100) wafers. N@sub 2@ and O@sub 2@ were used as gas sources to allow separate control of the amount of N and O ions and radicals, thus affording control of film stoichiometry. Films were produced with an ECR power of 300 W and an RF bias range of 0 to -80 V. The ability to tailor film properties such as; composition, interface states, morphology and structure was made possible by varying plasma processing parameters. Spectroscopic ellipsometry, atomic force microscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and capacitance-voltage measurements were performed on the silicon oxynitride layers. The nitrogen to oxygen ratio in the silicon oxynitride films was found to depend on competitive processes between N@super +@ and O@super -@ species. Less negative voltages (> -20 V) produced a greater content of oxide due to a larger concentration of O@super -@ ions, while more negative voltages (< -50 V) produced NO and N@super +@ ions and radicals forming a greater content of nitride in the films. In addition, the effects of pressure, flow-rate ratio, time, temperature and ECR power on the fabricated film properties will be presented.