Infrared Investigation of Ultraviolet‐Light‐Induced Changes of Chemical Bonds in Silicon‐rich Plasma Silicon Nitride

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Abstract
Silicon‐rich plasma silicon nitride films deposited on silicon at 270 and 450°C were irradiated for up to 517 h with ultraviolet light of about 44 mW/cm2. Light‐induced changes in Si‒H, N‒H, and Si‒N bond concentrations have been measured by infrared absorption spectroscopy. The largest change in relative bond concentrations observed was 16% for N‒H of the nitride film deposited at 270°C. Silicon nitride deposited at 450°C shows considerably smaller changes in N‒H and Si‒N concentrations compared to material deposited at 270°C. By UV‐light, a hydrogen transfer from a N‒H to a Si‒H configuration was observed for silicon nitride deposited at 450°C. For both nitrides, changes in bonding structure induced by 1 h of irradiation can be reversed to a high degree by annealing below the deposition temperature. The silicon nitride bandgap becomes wider after UV‐irradiation.
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