Study of Wafer Arcing Defects on PECVD Low Deposition Rate TEOS Oxide Thin Film

In this study, we have investigated wafer arcing defects on low deposition rate oxide thin film using tetraethyl-orthosilicate (TEOS) by Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD). During the experiments, we considered process parameters such as the O2/TEOS gas flow ratio, RF power, and hardware configurations. A proposed mechanism for the formation of wafer arcing defects has been put forward. A process condition was found to eliminate wafer arcing defects while maintaining thin film properties.