ATOMIC LAYER CONTROLLED DEPOSITION OF SILICON-NITRIDE WITH SELF-LIMITING MECHANISM

Thin (2-10 nm) silicon nitride films have been grown by repetitive pla sma nitridation of Si using a NH3 remote plasma and deposition of Si b y a SiH2Cl2 thermal reaction. The deposition rate is self-limited at n early half-molecular layer (ML) per one deposition cycle. The process window for the half-ML/cycle of growth has been investigated with resp ect to the NH3 plasma power, SiH2Cl2 exposure time, and substrate temp erature. The thickness fluctuation of the film over a 2 in. wafer is w ithin measurement accuracy of the ellipsometer (+/- 1.9%) for the atom ic layer controlled film while it is +/- 8.5% for all the remote-plasm a chemical vapor deposition film. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physi cs.