Abstract
Amorphous SiNx:H films having nitrogen content x greater than 1.3 were deposited at 300 °C by varying the ammonia-to-monosilane flow-rate ratio RN, using plasma-enhanced chemical- vapor-deposition. The characteristics of defects in the films subjected to UV illumination and anneal treatments were investigated by electron-spin-resonance (ESR) measurements. The paramagnetic Si dangling bonds (DBs) with three N atom neighbors, called the K0 center, were observed for an as-deposited film with RN of 5, and the density was favorably enhanced by exposing the film to UV light or by the UV illumination subsequent to its annealing. The K0 density decreased as the film was annealed at 550 °C after the UV illumination. The mechanisms of creation and disappearance of the K0 centers by the illumination and the annealing, respectively, were interpreted in terms of the potential fluctuation model. The K0 density in as-deposited films decreased with RN, and a new three-line spectrum was observed as RN exceeds 7. Origins of this new spectrum are discussed. The ESR spectra due to N DBs were observed for only the films subjected to the anneal/illumination sequence, and the densities of both N DBs and K0 centers decreased with increasing the annealing time before the illumination.
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