CVD Fabrication

Figure 1.8. CVD fabricated monolithic components (a) thin-wall Rh thruster chamber [5] and (b) SiC components [42]...

Table 1.2 Comparison of variable CVD fabrication protocol/conditions utilised and the resultant variability in graphene quality obtained... 

When carbon nanotubes (CNTs, which are effectively rolled up graphene structures) were first utilised in electrochemical applications they were found to contain metallic impurities as a result of their CVD fabrication, which contributed or dominated their observed electrochemical response [59, 60]. Similarly, it has been shown that graphene fabricated from graphite, via chemical oxidation of natural graphite followed with thermal exfoliation/reduction, can contain cobalt, copper, iron, molybdenum and nickel oxide particles which can influence the electrochemistry of graphene towards specific analytes and has potential to lead to inaccurate claims of the electro-catalytic effect of graphene [61, 62]. 

Sihcon dioxide layers can be formed using any of several techniques, including thermal oxidation of siUcon, wet anodization, CVD, or plasma oxidation. Thermal oxidation is the dominant procedure used in IC fabrication. The oxidation process selected depends on the thickness and properties of the desired oxide layer. Thin oxides are formed in dry oxygen, whereas thick (>0.5 jim) oxide layers are formed in a water vapor atmosphere (13). 

Dielectric Film Deposition. Dielectric films are found in all VLSI circuits to provide insulation between conducting layers, as diffusion and ion implantation (qv) masks, for diffusion from doped oxides, to cap doped films to prevent outdiffusion, and for passivating devices as a measure of protection against external contamination, moisture, and scratches. Properties that define the nature and function of dielectric films are the dielectric constant, the process temperature, and specific fabrication characteristics such as step coverage, gap-filling capabihties, density stress, contamination, thickness uniformity, deposition rate, and moisture resistance (2). Several processes are used to deposit dielectric films including atmospheric pressure CVD (APCVD), low pressure CVD (LPCVD), or plasma-enhanced CVD (PECVD) (see Plasma technology). 

Fabrication methods that are generaby used to make these junctions are diffusion, ion implantation, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), vacuum deposition, and bquid-phase deposition for homojunctions CVD, vacuum deposition, and bquid-phase deposition for heterojunctions and vacuum deposition for Schottky and MIS junctions. 

Alternative Thin-Film Fabrication Approaches. Thin films of electronic ceramic materials have also been prepared by sputtering, electron beam evaporation, laser ablation, chemical beam deposition, and chemical vapor deposition (CVD). In the sputtering process, targets may be metal... 

Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) has grown very rapidly in the last twenty years and applications of this fabrication process are now key elements in many industrial products, such as semiconductors, optoelectronics, optics, cutting tools, refractory fibers, filters and many others. CVD is no longer a laboratory curiosity but a maj or technology on par with other maj or technological disciplines such as electrodeposition, powder metallurgy, or conventional ceramic processing. 

Generally CVD is a captive operation and an integral part of a fabrication process, particularly in microelectronics where most manufacturers have their own CVD facilities. It is also an international business, and, while the U.S. is still in the lead, a great deal of work is under way, mostly in Japan and Europe. A significant trend is the internationalization of the CVD industry, with many multi-national ventures. 

Two maj or areas of application of CVD have rapidly developed in the last twenty years or so, namely in the semiconductor industry and in the so-called metallurgical-coating industry which includes cutting-tool fabrication. CVD technology isparticularly important in the production of semiconductors and related electronic components. Itisby far the most... 

The present chapter deals with the CVD of metals and some metal alloys and intermetallics. The metals are listed alphabetically. The range of applications is extensive as many of these materials play an important part in the fabrication of integrated circuits and other semiconductor devices in optoelectronic and optical applications, in corrosion protection, and in the design of structural parts. These applications are reviewed in greater depth in Chs. 13 to 19. 

Molybdenum is a high-strength refractory metal, although recrystallizes above 950°C with accompanying reduction in mechanical properties. It is easily fabricated. Its properties are summarized in Table 6.6. CVD is commonly used for the production of molybdenum coatings and free-standing shapes. 

Many of these steps include CVD, and CVD is now a major process in the fabrication of monolithic integrated circuits (IC), custom and semi-custom ASIC s, active discrete devices, transistors, diodes, passive devices and networks, hybrid IC s, opto-elec-tronic devices, energy-conversion devices, and microwave devices. 

Interconnect. Three-dimensional structures require interconnections between the various levels. This is achieved by small, high aspect-ratio holes that provide electrical contact. These holes include the contact fills which connect the semiconductor silicon area of the device to the first-level metal, and the via holes which connect the first level metal to the second and subsequent metal levels (see Fig. 13.1). The interconnect presents a major fabrication challenge since these high-aspect holes, which may be as small as 0.25 im across, must be completely filled with a diffusion barrier material (such as CVD titanium nitride) and a conductor metal such as CVD tungsten. The ability to fill the interconnects is a major factor in selecting a thin-film deposition process. 

An important consideration in the sequence of semiconductor devices fabrication is the so-called thermal budget, a measure of both the CVD temperature and the time at that temperature for any given CVD operation. As a rule, the thermal budget becomes lower the farther away a given step is from the original surface of the silicon wafer. This restriction is the result of the temperature limitations of the already deposited materials. 

CVD is a maj or process in the production of thin films of all three categories of electronic materials semiconductors, conductors, and insulators. In this chapter, the role of CVD in the fabrication of semiconductors is reviewed. The CVD production of insulators, conductors, and diffusion barriers is reviewed in the following chapter. The major semiconductor materials in production or development are silicon, germanium, ni-V and II-VI compounds, silicon carbide, and diamond. 

Polysilicon is a contraction of polycrystalline silicon, (in contrast with the single-crystal epitaxial silicon). Like epitaxial silicon, polysilicon is also used extensively in the fabrication of IC s and is deposited by CVD.f l it is doped in the same manner as epitaxial silicon. Some applications of poly silicon films are ... 

Thin films of electrical insulators are essential elements in the design and fabrication of electronic components. The most widely used insulator materials (dielectrics) are silicon oxide (Si02) and silicon nitride (Si3N4). These materials are extensively produced by CVD. 

DEC coating was first prepared by Aisenberg and Chabot using ion beam deposition in 1971 [2]. At present, PVD, such as ion beam deposition, sputtering deposition, cathodic vacuum arc deposition, pulsed laser deposition, and CVD, like plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition are the most popular methods to be selected to fabricate DEC coatings. 

The rotating-disk CVD reactor (Fig. 1) can be used to deposit thin films in the fabrication of microelectronic components. The susceptor on which the deposition occurs is heated (typically around lOOOK) and rotated (speeds around 1000 rpm). A boundary layer is formed as the gas is drawn in a swirling motion across the spinning, heated susceptor. In spite of its three-dimensional nature, a peculiar property of this flow is that, in the absence of buoyant forces and geometrical constraints, the species and temperature gradients normal to the disk are the same everywhere on the disk. Consequently, the deposition is highly uniform - an especially desirable property when the deposition is on a microelectronic substrate. 

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