Low hydrogen content silicon nitride films grown by chemical vapor deposition using microwave excited hydrogen radicals

Abstract

A chemical vapor deposition method using hydrogen radicals excited by microwave plasma has been applied to obtain silicon nitride films of low hydrogen content. In this method, silane and monomethylamine were used as source gases. For a appropriate experimental condition, residual carbon and oxygen contents could be reduced to a small value and residual hydrogen content was smaller than ∼1 × 1022 cm-3. Also, the structure of hydrogen bonding and the structural change with time of the films were measured.