High-fluidity chemical vapor deposition of silicon dioxide

Silicon dioxide has been deposited by the glow discharge decomposition of SiH4 and O2 at substrate temperatures below −80 °C, where the thermal reaction on the surface was basically suppressed. Ion flux onto the growth surface was significantly reduced by employing a triode reactor. Oxide deposition onto surfaces with narrow features proceeds from the bottom of a trench or groove and results in planarization of the topography. Such high-fluidity chemical vapor deposition is inferred to occur through the formation of liquified precursors on the cooled surface.