US4572841A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Low temperature method of deposition silicon dioxide
Assignee: RCA Corp
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Filing: 1984-12-28
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Granted: 1986-02-25
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Expires: 2004-12-28
Abstract
Abstract It has been found that by subjecting a source of silicon and an oxygen containing gaseous precursor to a glow discharge in the presence of an excess of hydrogen, a silicon dioxide film of substantially increased density can be deposited onto a substrate. Alternatively, where it is important to have an enhanced silicon to silicon dioxide interface, the process may comprise a first step of growing a silicon dioxide film between 50 and 1000Å thick by low temperature plasma oxidation and a second step of depositing by glow discharge an additional thickness of silicon dioxide layer, which is produced from a plasma of a source of silicon and an oxygen-containing gaseous precursor, in an excess of hydrogen.
Inventors
- 👤 Grzegorz Kaganowicz
- 👤 John W. Robinson
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 17:40
CPC Classifications
C; C04; C04B; C04B41/00; C04B41/009; C04B41/45; C04B41/50; C04B41/5025; C04B41/5035; C04B41/80; C04B41/81; C04B41/85; C04B41/87; C23; C23C; C23C16/00; C23C16/02; C23C16/0272; C23C16/22; C23C16/30; C23C16/40; C23C16/401; C23C16/402; H; H10; H10P; H10P14/00; H10P14/60; H10P14/63; H10P14/6302; H10P14/6304; H10P14/6306; H10P14/6308; H10P14/6309; H10P14/6319; H10P14/66; H10P14/662; H10P14/668; H10P14/6681; H10P14/6682; H10P14/6326; H10P14/6328; H10P14/6334; H10P14/6336; H10P14/69; H10P14/692; H10P14/6921; H10P14/69215
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
112 words
In a process for depositing a dense silicon dioxide film onto a substrate in a glow discharge apparatus comprising the steps of placing the substrate into the deposition chamber of said apparatus; evacuating said chamber; introducing a source of silicon and an oxygen containing gaseous precursor into said chamber; applying sufficient power to generate a plasma and thereby deposit silicon dioxide onto said substrate; the improvement comprising introducing hydrogen into said chamber in an amount such that at least 4 atoms of hydrogen are introduced for every atom of silicon introduced by the silicon-containing precursor and further wherein said amount of hydrogen is independent of any hydrogen introduced by said silicon-containing precursor.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
112 words
In a process for depositing a dense silicon dioxide film onto a substrate in a glow discharge apparatus comprising the steps of placing the substrate into the deposition chamber of said apparatus; evacuating said chamber; introducing a source of silicon and an oxygen containing gaseous precursor into said chamber; applying sufficient power to generate a plasma and thereby deposit silicon dioxide onto said substrate; the improvement comprising introducing hydrogen into said chamber in an amount such that at least 4 atoms of hydrogen are introduced for every atom of silicon introduced by the silicon-containing precursor and further wherein said amount of hydrogen is independent of any hydrogen introduced by said silicon-containing precursor.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
12 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the source of silicon is silane.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the oxygen-containing gaseous precursor is selected from the group consisting essentially of oxygen, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
164 words
A low temperature method of depositing a dense silicon dioxide film onto a silicon substrate comprising; placing the substrate in a deposition chamber of a magnetically enhanced glow discharge apparatus; evacuating the chamber; introducing a gaseous oxygen-containing precursor into said chamber; initiating a plasma by applying sufficient power from a power source through a magnetron electrode to provide an effective power density of between about 1 and 15 watts/cm 2 , thereby growing a first thickness of silicon dioxide; introducing a source of silicon, an oxygen containing gaseous precursor, and hydrogen into said chamber in an amount such that at least 4 atoms of hydrogen are introduced for every atom of silicon introduced by the silicon-containing precursor and further wherein said amount of hydrogen is independent of any hydrogen introduced by said silicon-containing precursor; and, initiating a plasma in said chamber to deposit a second desired thickness of silicon dioxide, wherein the temperature is maintained to be below about 300° C. during both depositions.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
164 words
A low temperature method of depositing a dense silicon dioxide film onto a silicon substrate comprising; placing the substrate in a deposition chamber of a magnetically enhanced glow discharge apparatus; evacuating the chamber; introducing a gaseous oxygen-containing precursor into said chamber; initiating a plasma by applying sufficient power from a power source through a magnetron electrode to provide an effective power density of between about 1 and 15 watts/cm 2 , thereby growing a first thickness of silicon dioxide; introducing a source of silicon, an oxygen containing gaseous precursor, and hydrogen into said chamber in an amount such that at least 4 atoms of hydrogen are introduced for every atom of silicon introduced by the silicon-containing precursor and further wherein said amount of hydrogen is independent of any hydrogen introduced by said silicon-containing precursor; and, initiating a plasma in said chamber to deposit a second desired thickness of silicon dioxide, wherein the temperature is maintained to be below about 300° C. during both depositions.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
12 words
The method of claim 4 wherein the source of silicon is silane.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 4 wherein the oxygen-containing gaseous precursor is selected from the group consisting essentially of oxygen, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 4 wherein said first thickness of silicon dioxide is between about 50 and 1000 angstroms.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 4 wherein said first thickness of silicon dioxide is between about 50 and 100 angstroms.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 8 wherein the oxidation step is carried out using an effective power density of about 1 to 3 Watts/cm 2 .
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US4361595A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1989-02-24 | 1989-08-26 | 1990-02-25 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1993-02-24 | 1993-08-26 | 1994-02-25 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1997-02-24 | 1997-08-26 | 1998-02-25 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |