Investigations of silicon nitride layers deposited in pulsed microwave generated ammonia–silane plasmas

Pulsed plasmas are of increasing importance for applications of high rate film deposition or etching processes under low plasma induced damage. The deposition rate and the characteristics of silicon nitride films can be strongly influenced by a suitable choice of the pulse parameters like pulse/pause ratio, the pulse frequency and the composition of the reactants. The intention of these investigations is to optimise the deposition of silicon nitride films in pulsed microwave plasmas.