ULTRATHIN SILICON OXYNITRIDE FILMS GROWN BY AR N2O REMOTE PLASMA PROCESSING/

On-line Auger electron spectroscopy, secondary ion mass spectroscopy, and angle-resolved x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (ARXPS) were emplo yed to determine the concentration, spatial distribution, and local ch emical bonding of nitrogen in ultrathin oxynitride films grown by Ar/N 2O remote plasma processing. Nitrogen incorporation in the films occur s primarily at the Si-SiO2 interface irrespective of rf power (5-50 W) ; however, the interfacial nitrogen concentration increases with rf po wer. Up to 0.6 monolayers of nitrogen atoms, bonded as (Si-)(3)N, are incorporated at the interface. Atomic oxygen generated in N2O plasma d ecomposition scavenges nitrogen from the bulk of the film, effectively confining nitrogen to a very narrow region near the substrate. A very small concentration of nitrogen, bonded as (Si-)(2)N-O, is detected o n the top surface of the film by ARXPS. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics.