Thin film deposition apparatus using an RF glow discharge

摘要

An RF plasma deposition apparatus for depositing a film of material on substrates positioned in a vertical plane and electrically "floating" within the glow discharge. For deposition of silicon nitride films, the apparatus is adapted to introduce silane gas in a substantially uniform and laminar flow into a coating cavity containing substrates, a ground screen electrode, and a "hot" RF electrode, within which a glow discharge is ignited. Elemental nitrogen may be delivered to the coating cavity after being dissociated in a local, separate RF plasma called an "atomizer" cavity. During coating, elemental nitrogen combines with elemental silicon and deposits silicon nitride upon the substrate surface.