Chemical kinetics in chemical vapor deposition: growth of silicon dioxide from tetraethoxysilane (TEOS)

Chemical reactions in the gas-phase and on surfaces are important in the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of materials for microelectronic applications. General approaches for modeling the homogeneous and heterogeneous kinetics in CVD are discussed. A software framework for implementing the theory utilizing the CHEMKIN suite of codes is presented. Specific examples are drawn from the CVD of SiO2 using tetraethoxysilane (TEOS). Experimental molecular beam reactive-sticking coefficient studies were employed to extract surface-reaction rate constants. Numerical simulations were used to analyze the molecular-beam experiments and low-pressure tube furnace data, illustrating the general modeling approach.