The inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition (ICP-CVD) deposited silicon nitride (SiN x ) thin film was evaluated for its application as the electrical insulating film for a capacitor device. In order to achieve highest possible dielectric strength of SiN x , the process parameters of ICP-CVD were carefully tuned to control hydrogen in SiN x films by means of tuning N2/SiH4 ratio and radio frequency (RF) power. Besides electrical measurements, the hydrogen content in the films was measured by dynamic secondary ion mass spectrometry (D-SIMS). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and micro Raman spectroscopy were used to characterize the SiN x films by measuring Si–H and N–H bonds’ intensities. It was found that the more Si–H bonds lead to the higher dielectric strength.

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Radio frequency (RF) ion source is significant in industry because of its advantages of easy control and maintenance, low gas consumption, high energy and high-density plasma generation abilities. Unfortunately, the problem of high-density plasma uniformity limits its applications. RF coils, as the most important part of the ion source, play a critical role on plasma density and distribution. In this paper, we performed simulations of the combined coils magnetic field and plasma with power distribution and conducted process experiments with the RF ion source to obtain its etching uniformity by characterization of step profiler. The results show that the application of the same direction and suitable coil current is beneficial to extend the uniformity range. The uniformity is improved by applying reversed coil currents. The results of process experiments are consistent with the simulation conclusions. This paper provides informative suggestions for the optimization of coil structures in RF ion source.