Effect Of Hydrogen Content On Dielectric Strength Of The Silicon Nitride Film Deposited By Icp-Cvd

The inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition (ICP-CVD) deposited silicon nitride (SiN (x) ) thin film was evaluated for its application as the electrical insulating film for a capacitor device. In order to achieve highest possible dielectric strength of SiN (x) , the process parameters of ICP-CVD were carefully tuned to control hydrogen in SiN (x) films by means of tuning N-2/SiH4 ratio and radio frequency (RF) power. Besides electrical measurements, the hydrogen content in the films was measured by dynamic secondary ion mass spectrometry (D-SIMS). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and micro Raman spectroscopy were used to characterize the SiN (x) films by measuring Si-H and N-H bonds' intensities. It was found that the more Si-H bonds lead to the higher dielectric strength.