Electrical properties of electron cyclotron resonance plasma-deposited silicon dioxide: effect of the oxygen to silane flow ratio

Abstract

Silicon dioxide layers have been deposited at 150 • C from electron cyclotron resonance plasma using pure oxygen and argon-diluted silane. The sign of the oxide charge depends on the flow ratio and also on the post-deposition processing. In the post-metallization annealed layers, net negative charge densities as low as 1 × 10 10 q cm −2 have been obtained in the best conditions. Most of the charge seems to be trapped at oxide centres and the measured mobile charge is negligible. Post-oxidation treatments did not anneal out the oxide traps but released additional positive charge in the oxide.

Net negative charge in low-temperature SiO2 gate dielectric layers

“…Negative effective charges were reported occasionally in PEC-VD silicon oxides when relatively thin layers (10-50 nm) were deposited in highly-diluted plasmas at low deposition rates [10][11][12]. Negative charges were also reported for silicon dioxide layers grown solely by plasma oxidation [13,14].…”

Negative Charge in Plasma Oxidized SiO2 Layers

“…Negative effective charges were reported occasionally in PECVD silicon oxides when relatively thin layers (10-50 nm) were deposited in highly-diluted plasmas at low deposition rates [9][10][11]. Negative charges were also reported for silicon dioxide layers grown solely by plasma oxidation [12][13].…”

Plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition of silicon dioxide

“…However, the charge for thinner layers remains negative. Negative effective charges were reported occasionally in PECVD silicon oxides when relatively thin layers (10-50 nm) were deposited in highly-diluted plasmas at low deposition rates [208][209][210]. Negative charges were also reported for silicon dioxide layers grown solely by plasma oxidation [211,212].…”