The plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) of silicon dioxide (S
iO2) thin films from SiH4 and N2O has been executed with and without CO2 la
ser illumination. The quality of the film processed under a 10.6 mum CO2 la
ser was close to that of a film grown when the substrate was heated to 200
degreesC. Since the temperature of the film substrate under CO2 laser illum
ination was only about 55 degreesC, this method should be helpful in proces
ses where a low thermal budget is required. CO2-laser-assisted PECVD (terme
d LAPECVD) with a substrate heated to 200 degreesC resulted in a SiO2 thin
film with excellent I-V characteristics and surface morphology, as well as
a higher refractive index and lower etching rate in BOE solution. Applicati
on of this thin film should be explored.