Room temperature deposition of silicon nitride films using very low frequency (50Hz) plasma CVD

Abstract

Silicon nitride films have been deposited by low frequency 50Hz plasma CVD using a nitrogen and silane mixture at room temperature. To deposit high quality silicon nitride, the silane fraction in the nitrogen and silane mixture has to be less than 5 %. The refractive index, breakdown field strength and resistivity of the obtained silicon nitride film were 2.0, 1.2x10⁷ V/cm and 6x10¹⁵ Ωcm, respectively. Mechanism of the deposition of high quality silicon nitride is discussed on the basis of the experimentally observed light emission spectrum from the plasma and of the electron energy distribution function in the plasma theoretically calculated by the Boltzmann equation method.