SiO[sub 2] Chemical Vapor Deposition at Room Temperature Using SiCl[sub 4] and H[sub 2]O with an NH[sub 3] Catalyst

Silicon dioxide films were deposited at room temperature using a catalyzed chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reaction. The film growth was accomplished using the reaction and catalyzed with ammonia . The catalyst lowered the required temperature for CVD from >900 K to 313–333 K. The ammonia also reduced the and pressures required for efficient CVD from several torr to >500 mTorr. In situ spectroscopic ellipsometry was used to optimize the reactant pressures, catalyst pressure, and reaction temperature. The ellipsometric investigations measured CVD rates that varied from 0.1 Å/min to >16 Å/min depending on temperature and reactant pressures. Rutherford backscattering measurements obtained nearly stoichiometric films with a Si/O ratio of 1:2.1. Atomic force microscopy images displayed a smooth surface topography with a roughness similar to CVD films grown at high temperatures. Catalysis by the Lewis base may be general and may facilitate the low temperature CVD of other materials. © 2000 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.