Patent ID: 7147900

Claim:
A method for forming a silicon-containing insulation film on a substrate, comprising the steps of: introducing a reaction gas comprising (i) a source gas comprising a silicon-containing hydrocarbon compound containing multiple cross-linkable groups, (ii) a cross-linking gas, and (iii) an inert gas, into a reaction chamber where a substrate is placed; applying radio-frequency power to create a plasma reaction space inside the reaction chamber; controlling a flow of the reaction gas and an intensity of the radio-frequency power to obtain a silicon-containing insulation film on the substrate; and exposing the insulation film to electron beam radiation in an electron beam apparatus, the electron beam radiation step comprising: (i) placing the substrate in a process chamber; (ii) introducing an inert gas into an electron beam gun chamber which is connected to the process chamber, wherein a partition wall is disposed between the process chamber and the electron beam gun chamber, said partition wall having an aperture toward which the inert gas flows; and (iii) emitting electrons from an electron beam gun provided in the electron beam gun chamber toward the substrate through the aperture while discharging the inert gas from the electron beam apparatus.