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A two-step UV curing process for producing high tensile stressed silicon nitride layers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 July 2012

Tobias Fischer ,
Lutz Prager ,
Joerg Hohage ,
Hartmut Ruelke ,
Stefan E. Schulz ,
Ralf Richter  and
T. Gessner
Tobias Fischer
Affiliation:
University of Technology Chemnitz, Center for Microelectronics, Reichenhainer Strasse 70, 09126 Chemnitz, Germany
Lutz Prager
Affiliation:
Leibniz-Institut fuer Oberflaechenmodifizierung e.V., Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
Joerg Hohage
Affiliation:
GLOBALFOUNDRIES Dresden, Wilschdorfer Landstrasse 101, 01109 Dresden, Germany
Hartmut Ruelke
Affiliation:
GLOBALFOUNDRIES Dresden, Wilschdorfer Landstrasse 101, 01109 Dresden, Germany
Stefan E. Schulz
Affiliation:
University of Technology Chemnitz, Center for Microelectronics, Reichenhainer Strasse 70, 09126 Chemnitz, Germany Fraunhofer ENAS, Technologie Campus 3, 09126 Chemnitz, Germany
Ralf Richter
Affiliation:
GLOBALFOUNDRIES Dresden, Wilschdorfer Landstrasse 101, 01109 Dresden, Germany
T. Gessner
Affiliation:
University of Technology Chemnitz, Center for Microelectronics, Reichenhainer Strasse 70, 09126 Chemnitz, Germany Fraunhofer ENAS, Technologie Campus 3, 09126 Chemnitz, Germany
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Abstract

This experimental study presents a comparison of differently tensile stressed silicon nitride (SiN) layers and their response to irradiation in a vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) curing system. Therefore, three types of silicon nitride with initial stress levels of 450 MPa, 700 MPa and 980 MPa were deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). In contrast to industrial standard VUV curing with broadband lamps ≥ 220 nm radiation wavelengths, we analyzed the effects of curing with single wavelengths at 172 nm and 222 nm. The samples were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, ellipsometry, and wafer bow measurement. It could be shown that high energy photons are able to dehydrogenize SiN films more than lower energetic photons compared with lower Si-N-Si crosslinking effects. Furthermore, we could show that a dual combined 172 nm and 222 nm VUV curing procedure can produce films with very low hydrogen concentration and high percentage of structural units consisting of Si-N-Si bonds. In conclusion of this study, an up to +900 MPa stress increasing process could be established.

Keywords

stress/strain relationshipfilmnitride
Type
Articles
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1455: Symposium II – Nanoscale Materials Modification by Photon, Ion, and Electron Beams , 2012 , mrss12-1455-ii12-06
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2012

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References

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