Electrical effects in GaAs and AlGaAs during inductively coupled plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition of SiNx films

The effects of deposition conditions on electrical properties of epitaxial GaAs and AlGaAs during inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition of SiNx films are reported. The carrier concentration in the films was str ongly affected by ion flux, ion energy, and deposition temperature. It was found that moderate to low source and radio-frequency chuck powers are pref erable for SiNx film deposition on GaAs and AlGaAs. Two effects contributin g to carrier reduction were identified: deep level trap introduction by ene rgetic ion bombardment, and hydrogen passivation of dopants from the SiH4 p recursor. (C) 1998 The Electrochemical Society. S1099-0062(98)06-063-5. All rights reserved.