Patent ID: 8569184

Claim:
A method for forming a single-phase multi-element film on a substrate in a reaction zone by plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) repeating a single deposition cycle, said single deposition cycle comprising: adsorbing a precursor on the substrate in the absence of reactant and plasma; decomposing the precursor adsorbed on the substrate by an inert gas plasma; and reacting the decomposed precursor with a reactant gas plasma in the presence of the inert gas plasma, wherein the multi-element film contains silicon and at least two non-metal elements constituting a matrix of the film, the precursor contains silicon and optionally at least one non-metal element to be incorporated in the matrix, and the reactant gas contains at least one non-metal element to be incorporated in the matrix, wherein an inert gas is supplied continuously throughout the single deposition cycle, serves as a purge gas between the step of adsorbing the precursor and the step of decomposing the precursor, and after the step of reacting the decomposed precursor, and is used for generating the inert gas plasma in the step of decomposing the precursor.