Volume : 3, Issue : 3, March - 2014

Characterization of Dielectric Silicon Nitride Thin Films Deposited by Radio Frequency Plasma–Enhanced and Electron Cyclotron Resonance Chemical Vapor Deposition

Prachi Yadav, Sunil Kumar, Sandeep Kumar

Abstract :

 The silicon-nitride (SiNx) thin films have been deposited by radio frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (RF-PECVD) at 250°C and Electron cyclotron resonance chemical vapor deposition (ECR-CVD) at 280°C techniques using ammonia (NH3) and silane (SiH4) as reactant gases. The films deposited by both the techniques were compared by atomic force microscopy (AFM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV-Visible spectroscopy and Ellipsometry. We have achieved refractive index ~2.06, high optical band gap ~4.15 eV and small surface roughness about 0.40 nm with the thickness of 640 Å on the film deposited by RF-PECVD technique at 250°C, which is good for most of the optical devices. The SiNx thin films deposited by RF-PECVD technique at 250°C have been used in the passivation of metal–semiconductor field effect transistor (MESFET) due to their excellent barrier property to moisture, metal-ions and oxygen.