Molecular beam mass spectrometry system for characterization of thermal plasma chemical vapor deposition

A molecular beam mass spectrometry system for in situ measurement of the concentration of gas phase species including radicals impinging on a substrate during thermal plasma chemical vapor deposition (TPCVD) has been designed and constructed. Dynamically controlled substrate temperature was achieved using a variable thermal contact resistance method via a backside flow of an argon/helium mixture. A high quality molecular beam with beam-to-background signal greater than 20 was obtained under film growth conditions by sampling through a small nozzle (75 μm) in the center of the. substrate. Mass discrimination effects were accounted for in order to quantify the species measurements. We demonstrate that this system has a minimum detection limit of under 100 ppb. Quantitative measurements of hydrocarbon species (H, H ₂, C, CH₃, CH₄, C₂H₂, C₂H₄) using Ar/H₂/ CH₄ mixtures and silicon species (Si, SiH, SiH₂, SiCl. SiCl₂, Cl, HCl) using Ar/ H₂/SiCl₄ mixtures were obtained under thermal plasma chemical vapor deposition conditions.