Intermediate Gas Phase of CH4/[Si(CH3)2O]5 Plasma and Its Effect on Structure of SiCOH Film

This paper investigated the radical behaviour of the plasma of a mixture of methane (CH4) and decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (DMCPS) by optical emission spectroscopy. The plasma was generated by electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) discharge and was used for depositing porous SiCOH low dielectric-constant film. In the ECR discharge plasma, CH, H, H2, C2, Si, O and SiO radicals were obtained. The CH, H and C2 radicals were from the dissociation of CH4, while the SiO, Si and O radicals from the dissociation of the Si-O chain. CHx radicals absorbed in the film were thermally unstable and could be removed by annealing. The dissociation of the Si-O chain led to an increase in a ratio of the Si-Ocage to Si-Onetwork. The removed of CHx radicals and the increased Si-Ocage to Si-Onetwork ratio were beneficial for reducing the film density and dielectric constant. (low temperature plasma)