Remote hydrogen plasma chemical vapor deposition using an organopentasilane cluster as a novel film-forming precursor: Mechanism of the activation step

The remote hydrogen plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD) using tetrakis(trimethylsilyl)silane (TMSS) as a source compound has been examined in terms of the mechanism of the activation step. The deposition experiments performed for different configurations of the afterglow tube (straight, with a light trap, and with a hydrogen-radical annihilator) prove that the TMSS molecules are exclusively activated by the reactions with the hydrogen radicals. The determined temperature dependence of the film deposition rate suggests that the examined remote hydrogen plasma CVD is a nonthermally activated process. Susceptibility of particular bonds in TMSS molecule to the activation step has been characterized using suitable model source compounds. Mechanisms of the most important elementary reactions contributing to the activation step have been proposed.