Effect of flow rate, nitrogen precursor and diluent on Si<inf>2</inf>N <inf>2</inf>O deposition by HYSYCVD

The effects of flow rate, nitrogen precursor and diluent on the synthesis of Si2N2O by the hybrid precursor chemical vapor deposition method (HYSYCVD) were investigated. Based on an L9 Taguchi experimental design, the processing parameters were studied at three levels: flow rate (10, 15 and 20 cm3/min), nitrogen precursor (UHP-N 2, 50% N2-balance ammonia, and 5 % N2-balance ammonia), and diluent (Ar, He, and with no use of diluent). Anova shows that flow rate of nitrogen precursor has the highest relative contribution (46 %) to the variability in the formation of Si2N2O, followed by the type of nitrogen precursor (44 %) and, the type of diluent (8 %). Deposition of Si2N2O is maximized by using 10 cm3/min of UHP-N2 and with no use of diluent. Results from the characterization of additional trials by XRD and SEM show that in the temperature range 1153.15-1603.15 K and processing times between 0-70 min, Si2N 2O is formed as spheres, rough and fine fibers.