Structural Differences Between Cvd And Thermally Grown Amorphous SiO₂

Abstract

The structure and density of amorphous S1O₂ films grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or thermal oxidation are studied by Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) absorption, neutron diffraction, and Rutherford backscattering (RBS) measurements. CVD oxides, formed in an atmospheric-pressure CVD reactor with a SiH₄-O₂ gas mixture at 400 °C, are compared with thermal oxides, grown at 980 °C in H₂-O₂ atmosphere. The average Si-O-Si bond angle deduced from the stretching frequency of FT-IR is found to be smaller in CVD oxides than in thermal oxides, and the density revealed by RBS measurements is found to be a little lower in CVD oxides than in thermal oxides. These differences are explained by the medium-range structural disorder revealed by FT-IR measurements as well as by neutron diffraction measurements. The medium-range structural disorder in CVD oxides is responsible for large silanol content in the oxides and is the origin in difference between CVD and thermal oxides.