Films of silicon dioxide and silicon oxynitride were grown by LPCVD using gas‐phase mixtures of
Si2Cl6
,
N2O
, and
NH3
in the temperature range 550°–850°C. The activation energy for
SiO2
deposition was 29 kcal/mole. Under comparable pressure and temperature conditions, growth rates of
SiO2
from
Si2Cl6
were at least three times higher than those obtained using
SiH2Cl2
or
SiH4
. The effect of temperature and reactant flow ratios on film composition, stress, refractive index, etch rate, and uniformity were studied, and these properties were found to be comparable to those in films deposited from
SiH2Cl2
and
SiH4
. The effect of
N2O/NH3
ratio on physical properties was investigated for oxynitride films. The dependence of these properties on film composition was the same regardless of the CVD reactant mixture used. However, the
NH3
to oxidant ratio required to obtain a specific film composition was strongly influenced by the oxidant and silicon precursor used. Comparisons are made to the LPCVD systems:
SiH2Cl2‐N2O‐NH3
,
SiH4‐NO‐NH3
, and
SiH4‐CO2‐NH3
.