Dielectric film for semiconductor fabrication

A structure, comprising:

• a substrate;
• and
• a dielectric layer that contains an element that is nitrogen or carbon;
• wherein:
• the dielectric layer includes a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion;
• the second portion is located farther away from a bottom surface of the dielectric layer than the first portion;
• the third portion is located farther away from a bottom surface of the dielectric layer than the second portion;
• a concentration of the element in the second portion is greater than the concentration of the element in the first portion;
• and
• the concentration of the element in the third portion is greater than the concentration of the element in the first portion but less than the concentration of the element in the second portion.

A structure, comprising:

• a substrate;
• and
• a dielectric layer that contains nitrogen, carbon, silicon, and oxygen;
• wherein:
• at a first location within the dielectric layer, the nitrogen or the carbon has a first concentration level;
• at a second location within the dielectric layer, the nitrogen or the carbon has a second concentration level that is less than the first concentration level, the silicon or the oxygen has a third concentration level that is greater than the second concentration level;
• and
• the second location is located farther from a bottom surface of the structure than the first location but is below a top surface of the dielectric layer.