Tunable SiO2 to SiOxCyH films by ozone assisted chemical vapor deposition from tetraethylorthosilicate and hexamethyldisilazane mixtures

Abstract Silica and silica-based materials with tunable functionalities are frequently encountered in low-k material applications, porous membranes, and microelectonic devices. In the present study, an innovative O2/O3 assisted CVD process for the deposition of such films at moderate temperature is presented, based on a dual precursor chemistry from hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS). Films with tunable carbon content were obtained through variation of the HMDS flow ratio. A comprehensive FT-IR study reveals the transition of the material from a SiOxCyH type film containing -CH3 moieties, to a methyl-free SiOx film with the increase of the temperature. At the same time the water contact angle of 81.0° at 400°C is decreased to 52.8° at 550°C, related to the absence of methyl moieties in the latter. Ion beam analysis (IBA) confirms the lack of carbon in the films when deposition temperatures are equal to or exceed 500°C. The resistance to liquid corrosion is investigated as a function of the deposition temperature; SiOx type films present a low Pliskin etching rate of 15 A.s-1, with this value increasing to 60 A.s-1 for the SiOxCy:CH3 films produced at the lower temperatures. It is found that the addition of HMDS to a TEOS chemistry can be utilized to modulate the film composition from SiOx to SiOxCyH and by such, tune the film functional properties, in particular its etching rate, opening the way to the development of new sacrificial films.