Temperature dependence of SiO2 film growth with plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition

The growth per cycle (GPC) temperature dependence was investigated for SiO2 films prepared by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD). During preparation of PEALD-SiO2 using bis-diethyl-amino-silane, the GPC was saturated via increasing the precursor dose time and flow rate. The saturated GPC decreased with increasing deposition temperature. GPC saturation curves as a function of precursor dose time were analyzed by a two-step adsorption model, where the amino-silane reversibly adsorbed (physisorption) during the first step, and then irreversibly adsorbed (chemisorption) on the SiO2 surface upon reaction with surface OH absorbents. This model is in good quantitative agreement with the saturation curve. The GPC value was determined by the surface reaction of amino-silane with OH sites, whose surface density was decreased by increasing the deposition temperature. The GPC saturation became slower with increasing deposition temperature, because the desorption rate of the physisorbed precursor increased with increasing temperature.

►SiO2 growth by plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition was investigated. ►Growth per cycle (GPC) was saturated with increasing the precursor dose time. ►Saturated GPC decreased with increasing deposition temperature. ►Experimental saturation curves of GPC can be fitted by 2 step adsorption model. ►This numerical model consists of physisorption and chemisorption of the precursor.