Impact of duty ratio-controlled ion energy on surface roughness of silicon nitride films deposited using a SiH4-NH3 plasma.

The impact of duty ratio-controlled ion energy on the surface roughness of silicon nitride (SiN) films is examined as a function of the bias power and the duty ratio. Experimental ranges are 30-90 W and 20-80% for the bias power and the duty ratio, respectively. SiN films were deposited at room temperature using a SiH4-NH3 pulsed plasma.