LOW-TEMPERATURE REMOTE PLASMA-ENHANCED DEPOSITION OF THIN METAL-OXIDE FILMS BY DECOMPOSITION OF METAL ALKOXIDES

The suitability of several metal alkoxides for deposition of thin films by low temperature remote plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition is investigated. In some cases other metal-organic compounds were also used. Among the systems studied are the deposition of SiO2 from tetraethyl-ortho-silicate and hexamethyldisiloxan as well as SiO(x)N(y)C(z) films from hexamethyldisilazan and TiO2 from tetraisopropyl titanate. Further investigations concerned ZrO2 formation from bis-(cyclopentadienyl)diethoxyzircon and tetra(tert-butoxy)zircon. We will discuss the influence of gas phase composition on thin film growth and film properties. We will also present a short overview over general film properties obtained using the various starting materials. Our results show that TiO2, SiO2 and ZrO2 can be deposited from their respective alkoxides. With respect to growth rate and impurity concentration these films are shown to be superior to films deposited from other organometallic sources. They also show good electrical and optical properties.