The synthesis of silicon nitride layers in a planar induction reactor

Abstract

A method is developed for the synthesis of silicon nitride layers using planar inductive activation of reagent gases: monosilane and nitrogen (or ammonia). Mechanical characteristics of the resulting silicon nitride films were investigated with the help of ellipsometry. The composition of the synthesized layers was studied by means of IR spectroscopy. It is shown that the amount of hydrogen and the nature of its bonding in the growing silicon nitride layers are determined by synthesis temperature and nitrogen or ammonia to monosilane ratio [N 2/SiH 4] in reagent flow. A decrease in the total hydrogen content of films to 4% was observed with [N 2/SiH 4]=3. Under this technological mode of synthesis, an increase in the concentration of Si–N bonds occurs along with a decrease in the concentrations of Si–H and N–H bonds. The developed synthesis method allowed us to synthesize silicon nitride layers with low hydrogen content (4%) from nitrogen and monosilane at a temperature below 300 °C. Technological regimes were determined for the route of manufacture of the microbolometric matrix.