A Thermally Stable Silicon Rich Amorphous Silicon Nitride Alloy for Electronic Device Applications

Abstract

ABSTRACTWe have developed an alloy of silicon rich amorphous silicon nitride as a linkable interlevel metal dielectric. This material is thermally stable through a heat treatment of 425°C for 30 minutes. The hydrogen content remains at approximately 21 at.%, even after this heat treatment. The breakdown potential is 1.9 × 106 V/cm at which point a metallic filament link forms between the metal contacts. The index of refraction is 2.43 and the HF permittivity is 9 Co- One important property is its ability to store polarized charge like an electret. This feature could allow it to be used in memory applications like MNOS. The alloy is also photoconductive with a response time of less than 5 μs, allowing it to be used as part of an optically sensitive circuit element.