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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 February 2011
The environmentally benign precursors diethylsilane and di-t-butylsilane were used with NH3 to synthesize silicon nitride films by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The growth kinetics and film properties were examined as a function of deposition temperature, total pressure, and NH3/organosilane ratio. The growth rate was observed to decrease with higher temperature and higher NH3/organosilane ratio while increasing with higher total pressure. Values of index of refraction, film stress, hardness, and Young's modulus were measured as a function of processing variables and related to film density and resulting film composition. Oxidation of the films was noted to occur at high pressures, low temperatures, and low NH3/organosilane ratios. Carbon incorporation was present for all deposits and appeared not to be dependent on processing conditions.