Low dielectric constant films prepared by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition from tetramethylsilane

Abstract

Dielectric films have been prepared by radio-frequency plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition from mixtures of tetramethylsilane with oxygen. The films have been characterized as-deposited and after annealing at 400 °C to determine the thermal stability of their properties. Rutherford backscattering and forward recoil elastic scattering have been used for determination of the composition of the films. Optical properties were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and measurements of the index of refraction and optical gap. The electrical properties were measured in a Si/insulator/metal configuration. It has been found that the index of refraction decreases and the optical gap and dielectric constant increase with increasing oxygen concentration in the gas feed. While the materials did not show a mass or composition loss after annealing, the annealing resulted in a reduction of the dielectric constant of the films. Dielectric constants as low as 3.1 have been obtained after annealing the film deposited from pure tetramethylsilane.

Effect of filament temperature on the chemical vapor deposition of fluorocarbon–organosilicon copolymers

“…[3][4][5][6][7] The synthesis of a fluorocarbon-organosilicon copolymer offers the opportunity to incorporate the useful characteristics of both fluorocarbon and organosilicon polymers into a single thin film. Fluorocarbon-organosilicon copolymers are currently under investigation as candidate materials for biopassivation coatings on neurological implants.…”

Plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition of SiO2 from a Si(CH3)3Cl precursor and mixtures Ar/O2 as plasma gas

“…This results contrasts with those reported by other authors showing the formation of SiO 2 thin films by using TMS in plasma microwave reactors with downstream configurations. 13,24 Jauberteau et al 25 have reported that an afterglow Ar plasma may yield a large fragmentation of the TMS molecule, mainly via SiuC bond breaking. This process principally generates Si(CH 3 ) fragments.…”

“…11 Other authors have also shown that by using TMSϩO 2 , it is possible to deposit hydrophobic SiO x thin films in a corona discharge plasma at atmospheric pressure. 6 In addition, since TMS and TMSCl do not contain oxygen, it is possible to deposit SiC and polymeric SiC x H y thin films 12,13 without adding to the plasma CH 4 or other hydrocarbons, as has to be done when using SiH 4 . However, in contrast with the ample literature existing about the use of SiH 4 , TEOS, or HDMSO, much less is known about the use of TMS or TMSCl.…”

A Century of Dielectric Science and Technology

“…117 Carbon-doped SiO 2 ͑SiOCH͒ films have k values below 2.8; the difficulty is controllably ''balancing'' the carbon content, OH content, and porosity. 118,119 Extensive reviews of PACVD are available. 117,120,121 Currently, plasma-assisted etching and deposition for microelectronic device and IC fabrication are reasonably mature technologies.…”