Evaluation of Low Temperature TEOS-Ozone Silicon Dioxide Thin Film CVD under Sub-Atmospheric Pressure Using Consecutively Pulsed Reactant Injection

New approach for sub-atmospheric pressure silicon dioxide thin film deposition process at consecutively pulsed injection of tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) and ozone is presented. The study was performed with DCVD Centura DxZ tool. Deposition rates (DR) were as low as 0.03-0.1 nm/cycle and similar to those at atomic-layer deposition regime of thin film growth. The effects of deposition temperature, deposition process pressures and total reactant flows, ozone concentration, spacing, process cycle duration and total cycle numbers are presented. Deposition features were similar to those observed using continuous reactant delivery to the process chamber. DR values were found to depend strongly on ozone concentration and the surface of material used for CVD known as so-called "surface sensitivity" effect. (C) 2014 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.