Plasma diagnostics for unraveling process chemistry

Refining the thermochemical properties of CF, SiF, and their cations by combining photoelectron spectroscopy, quantum chemical calculations, and the Active Thermochemical Tables approach

Fluorinated species have a pivotal role in semiconductor material chemistry and some of them have been detected beyond the Earth's atmosphere. Achieving good energy accuracy on fluorinated species using quantum chemical calculations has long been a challenge. In addition, obtaining direct experimental thermochemical quantities has also proved difficult. Here, we report the threshold photoelectron and photoion yield spectra of SiF and CF radicals generated with a fluorine reactor. The spectra were analysed with the support of ab initio calculations, resulting in new experimental values for the adiabatic ionisation energies of both CF (9.128 ± 0.006 eV) and SiF (7.379 ± 0.009 eV). Using these values, the underlying thermochemical network of Active Thermochemical Tables was updated, providing further refined enthalpies of formation and dissociation energies of CF, SiF, and their cationic counterparts.

Statistical insights into the reaction of fluorine atoms with silicon

The dependences of silicon etching rate on the concentration of F atoms are investigated theoretically. The nonlinear regression analysis of the experimental data indicates that the reaction of F atoms with silicon is 2nd overall order reaction. The relationship between overall reaction order and kinetic reaction order is established using the etching rate equation. It is found that kinetic reaction order monotonically decreases with the increase in concentration of F atoms due to the increased surface coverage. Surface passivation by the reaction products is not observed under the investigated experimental conditions.

Using Fundamental Spectroscopy to Elucidate Kinetic and Energetic Mechanisms within Environmentally Relevant Inductively Coupled Plasma Systems

Understanding energy distributions and kinetic processes in N_xO_y plasma systems is vital to realizing their potential in a range of applications, including pollution abatement. Energy partitioning between degrees of freedom and multiple molecules formed within N_xO_y plasma systems (N₂, N₂O, N₂/O₂) was investigated using both optical emission and broadband absorption spectroscopies. Specifically, we determined electron temperatures (T_e) as well as rotational (T_R) and vibrational (T_V) temperatures for various N₂ (B³Π_g and C³Π_u) and NO (X²Π and A²Σ⁺) states. T_R and T_V for both molecules (regardless of state) show a strong positive correlation with applied plasma power, as well as a negative correlation with system pressure. In all cases, T_V values are significantly higher than T_R for both species, suggesting vibrational modes are preferentially excited over rotational degrees of freedom. Time-resolved optical emission spectroscopy was utilized to determine rate constants, providing mechanistic insight and establishing the relationships between system parameters and plasma chemistry. Ultimately, the combination of these data allows us to glean information regarding both the kinetics and energetics of N₂ and NO molecules formed within nitrogen- and oxygen-containing plasma systems for potential applications in gas remediation of pollutants.

Asymmetrically distorted structures of monosilacyclobutane and disilacyclobutane radical cations studied by ab initio and density functional theories

The geometrical and electronic structures of a series of six monosilacyclobutane and 1,3-disilacyclobutane radical cations were systematically studied using ab initio and density functional theories. It was shown that all six radical cations possess an asymmetrically distorted structure in their ground electronic states. In the asymmetrically distorted C1 structure of monosilacyclobutane cations, one Si–C bond was elongated and the other was shortened. For the disilacyclobutane cations, two ring bonds were elongated and the other two contracted. The asymmetrical distortion was enhanced by exocyclic methyl substitutions and weakened by endocyclic Si substitution. The unpaired electron was localized mainly in the elongated σ(Si–C) ring bond(s) in all six cations. Studies of the excited electronic states of the cations provided strong support that the asymmetrical distortion in the four-membered-ring cations originates from the second-order Jahn–Teller effect. It was found that the puckered ring structures in the monosilacyclobutane molecules were maintained upon ionization, whereas 1,3-disilacyclobutane cations changed to a planar ring structure. Examination of the potential energy surfaces of all six cations showed that the Si–C ring bond elongation is the main contributor to the significant difference in the geometry change between monosilacyclobutane and disilacyclobutane species upon ionization.

Contributions of CF and CF2 Species to fluorocarbon film composition and properties for C(x)F(y) plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition

Inductively-coupled C(x)F(y) (y/x = 2.0-4.0) plasma systems were investigated to determine relationships between precursor chemistry, CF(n) radical-surface reactivities, and surface properties of deposited films. The contributions of CF(n) (n = 1, 2) radicals to film properties were probed via gas-phase diagnostics and the imaging of radicals interacting with surfaces (IRIS) technique. Time-resolved radical emission data elucidate CF(g) and CF(2)(g) production kinetics from the C(x)F(y) source gases and demonstrate that CF(4) plasmas inherently lag in efficacy of film formation when compared to C(2)F(6), C(3)F(8), and C(3)F(6) systems. IRIS data show that as the precursor y/x ratio decreases, the propensity for CF(n) scatter concomitantly declines. Analyses of the composition and characteristics of fluorocarbon films deposited on Si wafers demonstrate that surface energies of the films decrease markedly with increasing film fluorine content. In turn, increased surface energies correspond with significant decreases in the observed scatter coefficients for both CF and CF(2). These data improve our molecular-level understanding of CF(n) contributions to fluorocarbon film deposition, which promises advancements in the ability to tailor FC films to specific applications.

Laser mass-spectrometry for online diagnosis of reactive plasmas with many species

The purpose of this study is to design a diagnostic system for reactive plasma environment by combining molecular-beam time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectroscopy with laser spectroscopy technique. The combination of TOF mass spectrometers and pulsed lasers is favorable in the diagnosis of intermediate species distribution since they allow the simultaneous but separate recording of the spectra of different species. In the plasma system, the intermediate species in electronic ground state or low lying excited state is pumped to higher energy level with resonant laser excitation, and then, the ionization with a second laser system is possible which can readily be detected by the TOF analyzer. The ionization itself is only used as a detection mechanism for the observation of the excitation of these states. In this manner, the population distribution of intermediate species can be determined with state-selective and mass-selective feature. Also, in this article, a flexible data acquisition and automatic control system based on LABVIEW was designed to integrate all the stand-alone measurement instruments including a TOF spectrometer, a laser system, a high performance oscilloscope, and a digital delay generator into a single personal computer-based control unit. Moreover, a virtual Boxcar integrator with hundreds of channels has been developed to enhance the signal while filtering out the random noises. Finally, the many potentials of this technique in the application of plasma diagnosis will be discussed.

Gas phase energetics of CN radicals in radio frequency discharges: influence on surface reaction probability during deposition of carbon nitride films

The CN radical has been implicated as an important contributor to the plasma deposition of amorphous carbon nitride. Here, laser-induced fluorescence and optical emission spectroscopy were used to explore in greater detail the gas phase energetics of CN in CH(3)CN, BrCN, and CH(4)/N(2) plasmas. Measurements of CN internal temperatures from these systems yield rotational temperatures well above 300 K, with notably higher ones for CN formed in BrCN plasmas, and vibrational temperatures of 4500-6000 K in all three systems. The data agree with the results of literature photodissociation experiments, and extension of those results to the plasma systems studied here provides insight into both the mechanisms for CN formation as well as the disposal of energy during fragmentation of the parent molecules. The internal energies of these species may influence their surface behavior; this issue is discussed in the context of previous work from our lab as well as others. The apparent trends not only offer a valuable perspective on the chemical dynamics of CN during the plasma deposition of a-CN(x) films but are also suggestive of a more general relationship between the energetics of plasma species and their behavior at surfaces.

Comparison of CH, C3, CHF, and CF2 surface reactivities during plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition of fluorocarbon films

The overall character of films deposited using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition relies on the interactions of gas-phase molecules with the depositing film surface. The steady-state surface interactions of CH, C3, CHF, and CF2 have been characterized at the interface of depositing fluorocarbon (FC) films using the imaging of radicals interacting with surfaces (IRIS) technique. IRIS measurements show that the relative gas-phase densities of CH, C3, CHF, and CF2 in mixed FC plasmas depend on the CH2F2/C3F8 ratio. Similar results are found using optical emission spectroscopy to monitor the production of excited-state plasma species. The effects of plasma parameters, such as the feed gas composition and substrate bias on the radical surface, were measured. Under all conditions, the surface reactivity for CH radicals is near unity, whereas those for C3, CHF, and CF2 exhibit very low surface reactivity but also show some dependence on experimental parameters. Under some conditions, CF2 and CHF are generated at the surface of the depositing film. Surface reactivity measurements indicate that CF2, CHF, and C3 may contribute to FC growth only when adsorbing at reactive sites at the film surface. Moreover, the low surface reactivities of singlet species such as C3, CF2, and CHF may be related to the electronic configuration of the molecules.