Multi-model simulation of 300 mm silicon-nitride thin-film deposition by PECVD and experimental verification

•A comprehensive model for silicon-nitride PECVD process is presented;•A full-wafer experimental verification is carried out;•The effects of the showerhead on full-wafer deposition rate and Si/N are examined;•A feasible approach to adjust the full-wafer properties of a large-area silicon nitride film is indicated.

Plasma enhanced vapor deposition is a complex multi-physics process which couples plasma dynamics, chemical reactions, fluid dynamics, heat, and mass transfer. The structure of a reactor has significant effects on the process performance. In order to simulate the behaviors of silicon-nitride thin-film processing in a 300 mm reactor with a vertical showerhead, a comprehensive multi-model framework is developed to deal with the multi-physics phenomena in the entire reactor. Full-wafer deposition rate and ratio of nitrogen to silicon are compared between model and experiment to verify the multi-model simulation. The experiments are carried out with different showerhead configurations but the same process recipe, and the mechanisms of the thin-film profiles are analyzed based on the models. The results indicate that the spatial gradients of deposition rate and ratio of nitrogen to silicon are determined by the hole configurations on the showerhead.