Numerical Investigation of SiO_2 Coating Deposition in Wafer Processing Reactors with SiCl_4/O_2/Ar Inductively Coupled Plasmas

摘要

Simulations and experiments are performed to obtain a better insight in the plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition process of SiO_2 by SiCl_4/O_2/Ar plasmas for introducing a SiO_2-like coating in wafer processing reactors. Reaction sets describing the plasma and surface chemistry of the SiCl_4/O_2/Ar mixture are presented. Typical calculation results include the bulk plasma characteristics, i.e., electrical properties, species densities, and information on important production and loss processes, as well as the chemical composition of the deposited coating, and the thickness uniformity of the film on all reactor surfaces. The film deposition characteristics, and the trends for varying discharge conditions, are explained based on the plasma behavior, as calculated by the model.