Deposition and characterization of dielectric thin films from allyltrimethylsilane glow discharges

Thin films with a dielectric constant in the range of 1.9-4.5 have been deposited under different experimental conditions from allyltrimethylsilane (ATMS) and oxygen fed glow discharges. The thermal stability of the coatings is evaluated from thickness loss during the annealing process at 400 and 450 °C. Extremely low values of dielectric constant can be obtained at low input power and oxygen flow rate. However, control over the annealing temperature must be gained in order to avoid excessive film matrix collapse with subsequent deterioration of dielectric properties. For the lowest dielectric constant of 1.9, thickness shrinkage of 11% has been detected. Deposition temperature is also found to strongly affect film dielectric constant and chemical composition while input power modulation does not improve the dielectric properties of the films.