High-Quality Low-Temperature Silicon Oxide by Plasma-Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition Using a Metal–Organic Silicon Precursor and Oxygen Radical

Abstract

Recently, <formula formulatype="inline" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex Notation="TeX">$\hbox{SiO}_{2}$</tex></formula> grown at low temperatures has been highlighted for a range of applications. In this letter, <formula formulatype="inline" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex Notation="TeX">$\hbox{SiO}_{2}$ </tex></formula> films were deposited at 280 <formula formulatype="inline" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex Notation="TeX">$^{\circ}\hbox{C}$</tex></formula> by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (ALD) using bis-diethylamino-silane and <formula formulatype="inline" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex Notation="TeX">$\hbox{O}_{2}$</tex></formula> plasma. The electrical conduction mechanisms of a 38-nm-thick <formula formulatype="inline" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex Notation="TeX">$\hbox{SiO}_{2}$</tex></formula> film were found to be ohmic and Fowler–Nordheim tunneling in the low- and high-voltage ranges, respectively. The electrical breakdown field of the silicon oxide films was measured at <formula formulatype="inline" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex Notation="TeX">$\sim$</tex></formula> 10 MV/cm. The excellent breakdown field was well explained by the fact that ALD <formula formulatype="inline" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex Notation="TeX">$ \hbox{SiO}_{2}$</tex></formula> has very low carbon content ( <formula formulatype="inline" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex Notation="TeX">$&lt; $</tex> </formula> 0.5%) and does not have any oxygen deficiency and nonbridging oxygen. Compared to wet <formula formulatype="inline" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex Notation="TeX">$\hbox{SiO}_{2}$</tex></formula> , the increase in etch rates was attributed to the existence of strained bonds.