Deposition of silicon oxide films on silicon using HelixJet – an atmospheric-pressure plasma jet process below 100 °C

Silicon oxide films are widely applied for their superior dielectric, chemical and mechanic properties as well as for their resistance against reactive chemicals. Simultaneously, there is an increasing number of applications which demand a low deposition temperature. In this work, we compare the material properties of SiOx layers deposited at ca. 70°C by atmospheric-pressure plasma jet deposition (PA) with those of SiO2 layers thermally grown or deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition. The films were deposited on silicon wafers and analysed using different analysis techniques. According to cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy and high-frequency capacitance-voltage measurements, the interface between the PA oxide and the Si substrate is smooth with no apparent defects and displays an electrically active interface defect density between 3.5-8.0×1012 cm-2 directly after deposition and below 2.0×1012 cm-2 after furnace annealing. Right after deposition, the PA oxide contains carbon and hydrogen in a concentration of several at%, and the SiO2 plasma polymer network comprises several active centres (residual charge, free radicals, non-saturated bonds). The most abundant configuration is the Si(-O)4 tetrahedron, followed by Si(-O)3 with similar intensity. This indicates that there are still dangling Si bonds or bonds terminated by hydroxyl or methyl groups. After furnace annealing, the formation of the SiO2 network is completed and the optical and electrical properties of the PA oxide converge to that of thermal oxide.