Comparison between radical- and energetic ion-induced growth of SiC{sub x}N{sub y} films in plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition
- Materials Science and Technology Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 (United States)
Ternary SiC{sub x}N{sub y} compounds are materials with some remarkable properties such as high oxidation resistance and high hardness. In this work we compare the properties of SiC{sub x}N{sub y} films obtained using radio-frequency (rf) and pulsed glow discharge (PGD) plasmas with combinations of SiH{sub 4}, C{sub 2}H{sub 2}, N{sub 2}, and Ar source gases. The pulsed voltage used for the rf deposition was 200 V and for the PGD deposition it was 4 kV. During the rf growth, the growth takes place mostly by attaching neutral radicals to form chemical bonds. In the PGD method, the deposition takes place by subplantation and surface activation by energetic ions. We show that in the case of low-energy RF deposition, a high relative number of C-N bonds with sp{sup 3} hybridization is formed and very few Si-C bonds can be observed. Apparently the growth of carbon nitride and silicon nitride networks takes place independently. This indicates that SiH{sub 3} radicals attach to the dangling bonds of silicon and nitrogen, whereas C{sub 2}H radicals attach to the dangling bonds of carbon and nitrogen. During pulsed glow discharge deposition, bonds between all three components are formed apparently by means of subplantation and damage-induced disorder. The hardness of the PGD films exceed that of the RF films, showing that to form a dense SiC{sub x}N{sub y} film one has to either supply energy during the growth of the films by heating the substrate, as in the case of chemical vapor deposition or by using energetic ions.
- OSTI ID:
- 20662237
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 96, Issue 12; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.1812587; (c) 2004 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-8979
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Theory of defect formation in the glow-discharge deposition of phosphorus-doped hydrogenated amorphous silicon
Synthesis of silicon nitride particles in pulsed radio frequency plasmas