부산대학교 도서관

Photon-enhanced etching of SiNx:H films caused by the interaction between vacuum ultraviolet (VUV)/ultraviolet (UV) radiation and radicals in the fluorocarbon plasma was investigated by a technique with a novel sample setup of the pallet for plasma evaluation. The simultaneous injection of UV radiation and radicals causes a dramatic etch rate enhancement of SiNx:H films. Only UV radiation causes the film shrinkage of SiNx:H films owing to hydrogen desorption from the film. Capacitance--voltage characteristics of SiNx:H/Si substrates were studied before and after UV radiation. The interface trap density increased monotonically upon irradiating the UV photons with a wavelength of 248 nm. The estimated effective interface trap generation probability is $4.74 \times 10^{-7}$ eV-1$\cdot$photon-1. Therefore, the monitoring of the VUV/UV spectra during plasma processing and the understanding of its impact on the surface reaction, film damage and electrical performance of underlying devices are indispensable to fabricate advanced devices.