Embodiments of the invention generally provide a method for depositing
films using photoexcitation. The photoexcitation may be utilized for at
least one of treating the substrate prior to deposition, treating
substrate and/or gases during deposition, treating a deposited film, or
for enhancing chamber cleaning. In one embodiment, a method for
depositing silicon and nitrogen-containing film on a substrate includes
heating a substrate disposed in a processing chamber, generating a beam
of energy of between about 1 to about 10 eV, transferring the energy to a
surface of the substrate; flowing a nitrogen-containing chemical into the
processing chamber, flowing a silicon-containing chemical with
silicon-nitrogen bonds into the processing chamber, and depositing a
silicon and nitrogen-containing film on the substrate.