Formation of silicon nitride film

An apparatus for forming a silicon nitride film, comprising:

• a reaction chamber adapted to contain a process object therein;
• exhaust means for evacuating a gas in the reaction chamber;
• dichlorosilane supply means for supplying dichlorosilane into the processing chamber;
• hydrogen-radical supply means for supplying hydrogen radicals into the processing chamber;
• ammonia-radical supply means for supplying ammonia radicals into the processing chamber;
• a controller configured to control the exhaust means, the dichlorosilane supply means, the hydrogen-radical supply means, the ammonia-radical supply means to perform the following process steps including:
• (a) controlling the dichlorosilane supply means to supply dichlorosilane into the reaction chamber containing a process object, thereby allowing chemical species originated from dichlorosilane as a precursor to be adsorbed on the process object;
• (b) controlling the hydrogen-radical supply means to supply hydrogen radicals into the reaction chamber, thereby hydrogenating chlorine contained in the chemical species to remove the chlorine from the chemical species;
• and
• (c) controlling the exhaust means to regulate pressure in the reaction chamber at a pressure in a range of 40 Pa to 100 Pa, and controlling the ammonia-radical supply means to supply ammonia radicals into the reaction chamber, thereby nitriding the chemical species, from which the chlorine has been removed, by the ammonia radicals, to deposit resultant silicon nitride on the process object,
• wherein the steps (a), (b) and (c) are performed repeatedly for plural times in that order.

A storage medium storing a program executable by a control computer of a processing apparatus, wherein, upon execution of the program, the control computer controls the processing apparatus to make the processing apparatus perform a method of forming a silicon nitride film, said method comprising the steps of:

• (a) supplying dichlorosilane into a reaction chamber containing a process object, thereby allowing chemical species originated from dichlorosilane as a precursor to be adsorbed on the process object;
• (b) hydrogenating chlorine contained in the chemical species, thereby removing the chlorine from the chemical species;
• and
• (c) supplying ammonia radicals into the reaction chamber, thereby nitriding the chemical species, from which the chlorine has been removed, by the ammonia radicals to deposit resultant silicon nitride on the process object,
• wherein the steps (a), (b) and (c) are performed repeatedly for plural times in that order.