MICROSTRUCTURE AND DIELECTRIC PROPERTIES OF SILICON CARBONITRIDE DIELECTRIC BARRIER FILMS DEPOSITED BY SPUTTERING

Abstract

Silicon carbon nitride (SiCN) films were prepared on silicon substrate by reactive magnetron sputtering of a sintered silicon carbide target in a mixture of argon, nitrogen and acetylene. Detailed studies including energy dispersive spectrometer, atomic force microscope, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transformed infrared spectrometry and [Formula: see text]–[Formula: see text] measuring instrument were performed. The as-deposited SiCN films do not exhibit obvious crystalline phase, and the SiCN films annealed at 600[Formula: see text]C show SiC crystal and graphite carbon. The SiCN films mainly consist of Si–N, Si–C, Si–O, C–C, C[Formula: see text]N, Si–Hn and N–Hn bonds, and increasing C2H2 flow rate promotes the formation of C–C, N–Hn and Si–N bonds. The SiCN film with low dielectric constant of 3.8 and compact structure was successfully prepared.