RMPECVD of silica films in large scale microwave plasma reactor: Films properties

Previous works have described the deposition conditions of silicon oxide by Remote Microwave Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition. In this paper, the size of the quartz tube containing the glow discharge has been changed (null set=255 mm instead of 30 mm) and the process parameters (microwave p ower, pressure, temperature) are correlated with physico-chemical propertie s of the films. The comparison of the results for the two configurations al lows to discuss the influence of the scale of the microwave plasma. The coa tings are characterized in terms of density, chemical etch rate, bonding ch aracteristics (FTIR), stoechiometry (NRA) and the microstructures revealed by AFM.