LPCVD and PECVD silicon nitride for microelectronics technology

Silicon nitride deposition by chemical vapour deposition (CVD) based techni ques like low pressure CVD (LPCVD) and plasma enhanced GVD (PECVD) is descr ibed in this paper. The technological advantages of silicon nitride deposit ion by these two techniques, developed at CEERI, are discussed in detail. A pplications of LPCVD nitride films for LOGOS, composite gate structures for MNOS and MOS devices are highlighted. The importance of PECVD nitride film s for diffusion masking of compound semiconductors, and for passivation in Si, GaAs, and InP devices are demonstrated. Process parameters of LPCVD and PECVD nitride deposition have been optimized for various substrate conditi ons depending on the technological requirements. Material properties are be ing explored for various micromachining activities, which includes diaphrag m, cantilever, and beam formations.