Engineering Research Equipment Grant: Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition Reactor

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Molecular-beam mass spectrometry through the wafer surface is used for the first time in plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), giving identification and measurement of stable species, free radicals, and ions. The PECVD reactor effectively resembles commercial reactors used to fabricate microelectronic films, but it must be specially designed to accommodate this unique instrumentation. Such measurements will identify and quantify key reactive species, information that is critically needed to determine the chemical mechanisms of PECVD. Currently, mechanisms are being developed from sparse literature data and from theoretical predictions. Data from this apparatus then will contribute to more accurate models. Initial systems of interest are SiH4 plasmas depositing amorphous Si, and SiH4/O2 plasmas depositing SiO2.