Silicon-based thin films from n-alkyl substituted perhydridocyclotrisilazanes

Abstract

Low to moderate temperature vapor deposition processes are provided for the deposition of silicon-based thin films, such as silicon nitride films, silicon carbonitride films, silicon oxide films, and silicon films. The processes includes in a single cycle, heating a substrate to a predetermined temperature; providing a precursor containing an N-alkyl substituted perhydridocyclotrisilazane in the vapor phase to a reaction zone containing the substrate, forming a monolayer of the precursor by adsorption to the substrate surface, and exposing the adsorbed monolayer on the substrate in the reaction zone to a remote or direct soft plasma of a co-reactant. The adsorbed precursor monolayer reacts with the soft plasma and undergoes conversion to a discrete atomic or molecular layer of a silicon-based thin film via dissociation and/or decomposition due to or enabled by a substrate surface-induced process. The cycle is then repeated to form a silicon-based thin film of a desired thickness.