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Hydrogen Release and Si-N Bond-Healing Infrared Study of Rapid Thermal Annealed Amorphous Silicon Nitride Thin Films

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2011

P. Santos-Filho ,
G. Stevens ,
Z. Lu ,
K. Koh  and
G. Lucovsky
P. Santos-Filho
Affiliation:
Departments of Physics, Materials Science and Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-8202
G. Stevens
Affiliation:
Departments of Physics, Materials Science and Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-8202
Z. Lu
Affiliation:
Departments of Physics, Materials Science and Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-8202
K. Koh
Affiliation:
Departments of Physics, Materials Science and Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-8202
G. Lucovsky
Affiliation:
Departments of Physics, Materials Science and Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-8202
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Abstract

We address aspects of hydrogen bonding and its thermal evolution in amorphous Silicon nitride films grown by Remote Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (RPECVD) from SiH4 and NH3 (or ND3) source gases. Rapid Thermal Annealing (RTA) decreases the Si-H(D) and SiN-H(D) bond populations. The hydrogen bonds break, and H2 (HD, D2) forms and evolves from the film with the heat treatment. This molecular hydrogen release is accompanied by Si- and N- bond healing as detected by a SiN infra red stretch mode signal gain. The ex-situ RTA experiment temperatures ranged from 400 °C to 1200 °C, in 100 °C steps and the film structural changes were monitored by Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) after each incremental anneal. Gas flow ratios R=NH3/SiH4 > 2 produced films in which SiN-H(D) bonds dissociated, and a gas desorption rate equation estimated an activation energy barrier of Ea = 0.3 eV. The release of hydrogen from the films in the form of H2 (D2) and ammonia radicals was detected by mass spectrometry and is shown here. The re-bonding of nitrogen to silicon upon thermal dissociation of hydrogen's is consistent with the improvement of the electrical properties of a-SiN:H films following RTA treatment.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 398: Symposium C – Thermodynamics and Kinetics of Phase Transformations , 1995 , 345
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1998

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References

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