Silicon (oxy) nitride fihns used in the semiconductor fabrication process continue to be
grown/deposited thinner and thinner as device dimensions continue to shrink. In this
study, we have compared the growth kinetics, nitrogen composition and profile,
morphology and electrical characteristics of silicon nitrides and oxy-nitrides prepared by
several techniques. These include rapid thermal (RT) processes such as N20, NO,
NO+&, and NH3 (oxy) nitridations as well as ultra-thin LPCVD and RTCVD nitride and
oxy-nitride processes. The measurement techniques used to characterize these ftis
include: ellipsometry, nuclear reaction analysis (NRA), medium energy ion scattering
(MEIS), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and C-V and I-V electrical characterization of
poly-gate capacitors. With a thorough understanding of the growth behavior, and material
properties of ultra-thin silicon (oxy) nitride films grown by different techniques, we can
tailor the film thickness, nitrogen concentration and profile to optimize the materials
diffusion barrier and electrical properties for desired applications.
By: C. P. D’Emic, E.P. Gusev, KChan, T. Zabel, M. Copel, R. Murphy, P. Kozlowski, J. Newbury
Published in: RC22148 in 2000
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