Effect of ion assistance on silicon nitride films deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering

Silicon nitride films were deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering, during which ion assistance was introduced. The results showed that the optical properties and composition were significantly affected by ion assistance. The refractive index was decreased from 2.87 to 2.17, and the extinction coefficient was decreased from 0.1535 to 0.0031 (@492 nm). The nitrogen-to-silicon ratio was increased from 0.612 to 0.955 by ion assistance, shifting from silicon-rich to near-stoichiometric. Not only that, the ion-assisted film featured lower roughness and less impurity. As the ion source power increased, the Raman peaks of silicon and silicon oxide decreased as well. In this work, ion assistance exhibits a considerable effect on silicon nitride films, which has potential applications in the processing of silicon nitride films and other semiconductor thin films.

Automated summary

Silicon nitride films were deposited using reactive magnetron sputtering with ion assistance, which significantly affected their optical properties and composition. The refractive index decreased from 2.87 to 2.17, the extinction coefficient decreased from 0.1535 to 0.0031 (@492 nm), and the nitrogen-to-silicon ratio increased from 0.612 to 0.955. The ion-assisted films also had lower roughness and fewer impurities. Ion assistance showed a considerable effect on silicon nitride films and has potential applications in processing them and other semiconductor thin films.