Fabrication and properties of silicon-nitride films deposited by using PECVD with a tris(dimethylamino)silane of aminosilane precursor

Silicon-nitride (SiN x ) films were deposited at different substrate temperatures, RF powers, working gas pressures, and reactant gas flow ratio combinations by using a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) system with a tris(dimethylamino)silane (TDMAS) precursor and ammonia (NH3) or nitrogen (N2) gas. The thickness uniformity of the SiN x fabricated by using PECVD was better than 2% over 6-inch substrates. The chemical structure of the SiN x thin films was studied by using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The leakage current density of the deposited films was maintained at about 5.7 × 10−8 A/cm2 for the case of the TDMAS-NH3 combination and about 1 × 10−7 A/cm2 for the TDMAS-N2 case at a 1-MV/cm electric field. The resistivity in case at an electric field at 1 MV/cm was more than 1 × 1013 Ω·cm.