Plasma CVD of silicon nitride thin films on large area glass substrates at high deposition rates

• US 5,399,387 A
• Filed: 04/13/1994
• Issued: 03/21/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Maydan, Dan, Law, Kam S., Lee, Angela, Robertson, Robert, Lou, Pamela, Kollrack, Marc M.
• Primary Examiner(s): King, Roy V.
• Application Number:
  US08/227,479
• Time in Patent Office: 342 Days
• Field of Search: 427/574, 427/573, 427/570, 427/578, 427/579, 427/166, 427/167, 427/255.1, 427/255.2, 437/241
• US Class Current: 427/574
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/225 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/281 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2218/153 by plasma-enhanced cvd
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/345 Silicon nitride
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45565 Shower nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4557 Heated nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/54 Apparatus specially adapted for continuous coating

Abstract

High quality silicon nitride thin films can be deposited by plasma CVD onto large area glass substrates at high deposition rates by adjusting the spacing between the gas inlet manifold and substrate, maintaining the temperature at about 300°-350° C., and a pressure of at least 0.8 Torr. Subsequently deposited different thin films can also be deposited in separate chemical vapor deposition chambers which are part of a single vacuum system.

Claims

1. A plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition process comprising

depositing a dielectric silicon nitride film from a plasma of a precursor gas comprising silane and ammonia onto a single substrate at a temperature of below about 450°

C. and a pressure of at least about 0.8 Torr in a vacuum chamber wherein the spacing between the gas inlet manifold and the substrate is adjusted so that the silicon nitride deposition rate is maximized.

2. A deposition process according to claim 1 wherein said precursor gas also includes a carrier gas of nitrogen.

3. A deposition process according to claim 1 wherein the pressure is maintained at about 0.8-2.0 Torr.

4. A deposition process according to claim 1 wherein said substrate is glass.

5. A deposition process according to claim 1 wherein said silicon nitride is deposited as a gate dielectric layer over a patterned gate layer.

6. A deposition process according to claim 1 wherein said silicon nitride is deposited as a gate dielectric layer over a patterned gate layer on a glass substrate.

7. A deposition process according to claim 1 wherein the temperature is maintained below about 350°

C.