High Quality Plasma‐Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposited Silicon Nitride Films

The qualities of plasma‐enhanced chemical vapor deposited (PECVD) silicon nitride films can be improved by increasing the deposition temperature. This report compares PECVD silicon nitride films to low pressure chemical vapor deposited (LPCVD) films. The dependence of the film properties on process parameters, specifically power and temperature, are investigated. The stress is shown to shift from tensile to compressive with increasing temperature and power. The deposition rate, uniformity, wet etch rate, index of refraction, composition, stress, hydrogen content, and conformality are considered to evaluate the film properties. Temperature affects the hydrogen content in the films by causing decreased incorporation of N‐H containing species whereas the dependence on power is due to changes in the gas‐phase precursors. All PECVD film properties, with the exception of conformality, are comparable to those of LPCVD films.