NITRIDED SiO//2 FILMS FOR VLSI APPLICATIONS.

In order to determine electrical breakdown characteristics of nitrided SiO//2 films, approximately 50A thick of thermal SiO//2 film was nitrided at 800 degree C for 1 hour in NH//3. This resulted in about 5A increase in film thickness and incorporation of 15 percent nitrogen in the film. About fifty capacitors on a wafer were tested. The percentage of low field breakdown events decreases as a result of nitridation. Nitrided SiO//2 films seem to have desirable properties of thin insulators for VLSI applications.