Fabrication of Silicon Nitride Film using Pure Nitrogen Plasma Generated near Atmospheric Pressure for III-V Semiconductor Fabrication

Abstract

Stable discharging of pure nitrogen can be maintained even at atmospheric pressure when alternative pulsed voltage is applied between two parallel plate electrodes. From optical emission spectroscopy, strong emissions from the N2 2nd positive system, weak emissions from N2 Herman's infrared system and N2 1st positive system were observed. The emission intensities from the N2 2nd positive system and the N2 Herman's infrared system increase with increasing the nitrogen gas pressure, whereas the emission intensities from the N2+ 1st negative system and N2 1st positive system decrease. The thickness of the silicon nitride film fabricated at 500 Torr was 1.6 nm at a nitridation temperature as low as 25°C, regardless of the nitridation temperature and nitridation time. From these results, we conclude that N2(C3IIu) plays an important role for the excellent reactivity of the nitrogen plasma generated near atmospheric pressure.

Detailed structural analysis and dielectric properties of silicon nitride film fabricated using pure nitrogen plasma generated near atmospheric pressure

“…8 The excited molecular species generated through the N 2 second-positive system in this atmospheric pressure ͑AP͒ plasma show high reactivity for Si, as do atomic nitrogen species generated using rf plasma, and they play an important role in low-temperature nitridation. [9][10][11] This paper describes the formation of silicon nitride films using pure nitrogen plasma generated using AP plasma or rf plasma and discusses their structural and dielectric properties.…”