Remote Plasma SiO2Deposition by Tetraethoxysilane with Chemically and Energetically Different Atomic Species

Abstract
Thin films of SiO2are deposited using tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) as the source gas in remote rf (13.56 MHz) and microwave plasmas. Depositions were carried out using atomic and molecular radicals of different reactivities generated in O2, N2, H2, Ar and He plasmas. SiO2films could be fabricated only in the downstreams of O2, N2and Ar plasmas with the reaction of TEOS. SiO2was not produced by TEOS with the reaction of downstream of H2or He plasma. SiO2deposited with Ar plasma contains a small amount of C. The activation energy of film growth rate varies depending on the partially decomposed TEOS precursor density. Furthermore, the quality of SiO2films deposited with energetically different ground-state ( O(3P)) and excited-state ( O(1D)) atomic oxygen environments was comparatively studied. Films deposited in an excess O(1D) environment show better physical and electrical properties, though the yield of SiO2is independent of the state of the atom.