Moussi Tania Al, O'Dalaigh Cian, Raynaud Patrice, Esvan Jerome, Lambkin Paul, Lakshmanan Ramji, Chen Baoxing, Diaham Sombel
LAPLACE, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, INPT, UPS, Toulouse, France.
Analog Devices International, Limerick, Ireland.
Sci Rep. 2025 Sep 29;15(1):33646. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-14296-2.
Silicon nitride (SiN) thin films play a crucial role in the semiconductor industry due to their controllable properties, which make them suitable for various applications. In this study, SiN films, with varying composition ratios (x=[N]/[Si]), were fabricated under different conditions using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). The composition significantly affects the structural, optical and electrical properties of the films. We investigate the characteristics that depend on the stoichiometric composition of amorphous hydrogenated SiN films (ranging from N-rich to Si-rich) through techniques such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), electron microprobe microscopy (EMP), ellipsometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS), and high-voltage broadband dielectric spectroscopy (HVBDS). Key parameters, including refractive index, bonding structure, permittivity, loss factor and AC conductivity are analyzed and discussed in relation to the x=[N]/[Si] ratio. The presence of hydrogen in PECVD SiN is also examined with Si-H and N-H bonds varying based on the x ratio. These variations influence the film electrical conduction properties with low-frequency HVBDS accurately identifying the structural transitions between N-rich and Si-rich compositions. These results show the key role of the Si-N bonding and hydrogenation (mainly through Si-H bonding) in controlling nonlinear conduction of SiN films.
氮化硅(SiN)薄膜因其可控的特性在半导体工业中发挥着至关重要的作用,这使其适用于各种应用。在本研究中,使用等离子体增强化学气相沉积(PECVD)在不同条件下制备了具有不同组成比(x = [N]/[Si])的SiN薄膜。组成显著影响薄膜的结构、光学和电学性质。我们通过X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、电子微探针显微镜(EMP)、椭偏仪、傅里叶变换红外光谱(FTIR)、二次离子质谱(SIMS)和高压宽带介电谱(HVBDS)等技术研究了取决于非晶氢化SiN薄膜化学计量组成(从富氮到富硅)的特性。分析并讨论了包括折射率、键合结构、介电常数、损耗因子和交流电导率在内的关键参数与x = [N]/[Si]比的关系。还研究了PECVD SiN中氢的存在情况,其中Si-H键和N-H键会根据x比而变化。这些变化影响薄膜的导电性能,低频HVBDS能够准确识别富氮和富硅组成之间的结构转变。这些结果表明Si-N键合和氢化(主要通过Si-H键合)在控制SiN薄膜非线性传导方面的关键作用。