AVS 50th International Symposium
    Plasma Science and Technology Tuesday Sessions
       Session PS+TF-TuM

Paper PS+TF-TuM3
Plasma-enhanced Deposition of Silicon and Metal Oxynitride Films in a High-density Ammonia Discharge

Tuesday, November 4, 2003, 9:00 am, Room 315

Session: Plasma Enchanced Chemical Vapor Deposition
Presenter: T.D. Mantei, University of Cincinnati
Authors: Z.G. Xiao, University of Cincinnati
T.D. Mantei, University of Cincinnati
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Silicon, titanium, zirconium, and chromium oxynitride films have been grown in a high-density electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ammonia discharge. The organosilicon deposition precursors for silicon oxynitride were hexamethyldisiloxane and tetramethylsilane, while the organometallic deposition precursors for metal oxynitride were titanium (IV) isopropoxide and tetrakis(dimethethlyamino)titanium, zirconium 2-methyl-2-butoxide and zirconium t-butoxide, and bis(ethylbenzene)chromium. The plasma-grown films had nanoindentation hardness values of 12 - 14 GPa for SiN, 20 - 28 GPa for TiN, 17 - 21 GPa for ZrN, and 25 - 31 GPa for CrN. Deposition growth rates were 40 - 50 nm/min for silicon oxynitride and 10 - 20 nm/min for the metal oxynitrides. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic (XPS) analyses showed the nitrogen content of silicon, titanium, and zirconium oxynitrides to be 31% - 38%, while the CrN nitrogen content was 15%. The SiN films grown from hexamethyldisiloxane were colorless and transparent while films grown from tetramethylsilane had the characteristic dark color of Si@sub 3@N@sub 4@. The TiN and ZrN films had the characteristic brass and white gold colors of TiN and ZrN reference samples while the CrN samples were gray. The SiN films lasted 800 hours in an ASTM B117 accelerated salt-fog corrosion test without visible corrosion, and the TiN and ZrN films lasted 1000 hours without visible color change or corrosion.