TY - JOUR
T1 - The growth of silicon nitride crystalline films using microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition
AU - Grannen, K. J.
AU - Xiang, F.
AU - Chang, R. F.H.
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by a grant from the Office of Naval Research. The help from Kevin Cronyn and Bill Roth at Hitachi Scientific Instruments with the field emission SEM analysis and Hockchun Ong for x-ray diffraction, as well as Andrew Yee for profilometry measurements, is greatly appreciated. It is also a pleasure to thank Dr. C.W. White of Oak Ridge National Laboratories for the RBS data. This work was supported by the Department of Energy under Contract DE-FG02-87ER45314.
PY - 1994/9
Y1 - 1994/9
N2 - Crystalline thin films of silicon nitride have been grown on a variety of substrates by microwave plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition using N2, O2, and CH4 gases at a temperature of 800 °C. X-ray diffraction and Rutherford backscattering measurements indicate the deposits are stoichiometric silicon nitride with varying amounts of the a and β phases. Scanning electron microscopy imaging indicates β—Si3N4 possesses sixfold symmetry with particle sizes in the submicron range. In one experiment, the silicon necessary for growth comes from the single crystal silicon substrate due to etching/sputtering by the nitrogen plasma. The dependence of the grain size on the methane concentration is investigated. In another experiment, an organo-silicon source, methoxytrimethylsilane, is used to grow silicon nitride with controlled introduction of the silicon necessary for growth. Thin crystalline films are deposited at rates of 0.1 μm/h as determined by profilometry. A growth mechanism for both cases is proposed.
AB - Crystalline thin films of silicon nitride have been grown on a variety of substrates by microwave plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition using N2, O2, and CH4 gases at a temperature of 800 °C. X-ray diffraction and Rutherford backscattering measurements indicate the deposits are stoichiometric silicon nitride with varying amounts of the a and β phases. Scanning electron microscopy imaging indicates β—Si3N4 possesses sixfold symmetry with particle sizes in the submicron range. In one experiment, the silicon necessary for growth comes from the single crystal silicon substrate due to etching/sputtering by the nitrogen plasma. The dependence of the grain size on the methane concentration is investigated. In another experiment, an organo-silicon source, methoxytrimethylsilane, is used to grow silicon nitride with controlled introduction of the silicon necessary for growth. Thin crystalline films are deposited at rates of 0.1 μm/h as determined by profilometry. A growth mechanism for both cases is proposed.
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U2 - 10.1557/JMR.1994.2341
DO - 10.1557/JMR.1994.2341
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84972034220
VL - 9
SP - 2341
EP - 2348
JO - Journal of Materials Research
JF - Journal of Materials Research
SN - 0884-2914
IS - 9
ER -