Digital forum on atomic layer deposition: Bridging theory and experiment to design a process for silicon carbonitride

Future semiconductor devices demand new dielectric materials with precisely controlled properties, such as a lower dielectric constant and lower etch rate, which can be achieved by doping carbon into commonly-used silicon nitride and silicon oxide. While CVD techniques have traditionally been used to introduce carbon, new atomic layer deposition (ALD) techniques using silicon precursors can offer greater precision. However, to achieve this, new precursors that can be used at low temperatures are desired, which remains a key challenge for high-tech industries – highlighting the need for innovative approaches to accelerate discovery.

In this digital forum, Schrödinger and Lam Research will showcase a powerful R&D approach that bridges state-of-the-art Density Functional Theory (DFT) with complementary experiments using RGA and FTIR. The team assessed eight potential alkylchlorosilanes to see which one showed most promise for retaining carbon when used along with ammonia for deposition of silicon nitride. This example illustrates how individual techniques can only deliver partial information about a real-life process. Addressing the full complexity of a process requires close interplay between theory and experiment. Therefore, each piece of theoretical evidence is validated against experiment and builds into a comprehensive understanding of how the chemistry changes under processing conditions. 

Join us as we discuss how effectively theory and experiment are working together to solve the R&D challenges facing high-tech industries.