Determination of residual stress in low-temperature PECVD silicon nitride thin films

Mariusz P. Martyniuk; Jarek Antoszewski; Charles A. Musca; John M. Dell; Lorenzo Faraone

doi:10.1117/12.523327

2 April 2004 Determination of residual stress in low-temperature PECVD silicon nitride thin films

Mariusz P. Martyniuk, Jarek Antoszewski, Charles A. Musca, John M. Dell, Lorenzo Faraone

Proceedings Volume 5276, Device and Process Technologies for MEMS, Microelectronics, and Photonics III; (2004) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.523327
Event: Microelectronics, MEMS, and Nanotechnology, 2003, Perth, Australia

Abstract

Two experimental techniques have been investigated to examine residual stress in low temperature plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposited (PECVD) SiN_x thin films: one that measures the stress induced substrate curvature, and the other that takes advantage of the stress induced deformation of freestanding diagnostic microstructures. A general linear dependence of residual stress on deposition temperature is observed, with the magnitude of stress changing linearly from circa 300MPa tensile stress to circa 600MPa compressive stress as the deposition temperature is decreased from 300°C to 100°C. However, the results deviate from the linear dependence by a different degree for both measurement techniques at successively lower deposition temperatures. The stress values obtained via the substrate curvature method deviate from the linear dependence for deposition temperatures below 200°C, whereas the values obtained via the diagnostic microstructures method deviate from the linear dependence for deposition temperatures below 100°C. Stress uniformity over the deposition area is also investigated.

Citation Download Citation

Mariusz P. Martyniuk, Jarek Antoszewski, Charles A. Musca, John M. Dell, and Lorenzo Faraone "Determination of residual stress in low-temperature PECVD silicon nitride thin films", Proc. SPIE 5276, Device and Process Technologies for MEMS, Microelectronics, and Photonics III, (2 April 2004); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.523327

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