Increasingly ultra thin film processing is required for MEMs, nanostructure devices such as bio-sensors, detector-arrays, quantum devices and plastic electronics. Although Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) is capable of depositing many different materials, the more traditional oxides and nitrides of silicon are still of considerable interest due to their many applications and long established material properties. This contribution focuses on SiO₂ and Si₃N₄ thin films grown by remote plasma enhanced ALD at low temperatures. The SiO_x and SiN_x layers were prepared using various amino-silane sources, which will be discussed. The SiO_x layers were deposited using oxygen plasma as the oxidant and deposition rates of around 1.4 Å/cycle at a temperature of 300^oC have been obtained, see figure 1. The effect of the processing parameters, such as deposition temperature, the dose time of the precursors, ratio of nitrogen and hydrogen (for SiNx), plasma power and plasma time, on the deposition rate and optical and electrical properties of the SiO_x and SiN_x thin films are also discussed.

Spectroscopic Ellipsometer (SE), FTIR, AES, SEM, hydrofluoric acid etch rates and electrical measurement were used for characterisation of the physical, electrical, chemical and optical properties of the as-deposited SiO_x and SiN_x thin films. Effect of post-annealing on the ALD SiO_x and SiN_x films will be discussed as well.

Figure 1, growth rate of SiO_x using an aminosilane source and oxygen plasma at 300°C.

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