Processing of diamondlike carbon using plasma immersion ion deposition

Journal Article · Mon Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1999 · Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology. B, Microelectronics Processing and Phenomena

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1116/1.590645· OSTI ID:336663

Lee, D H; Walter, K C; Nastasi, M ^[1]

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1. Materials Science and Technology Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 (United States)

Plasma immersion ion deposition (PIID) has been used to synthesize hard amorphous hydrogenated carbon or diamondlike carbon (DLC) thin films on Si substrates with rf inductive plasmas of various Ar and C{sub 2}H{sub 2} gas mixtures. The surface hardness and stress of the films were highly dependent on the magnitude of the total rf power and the pulse-bias duty factor. The ratios of the ion flux and the film deposition flux, J{sub i}/J{sub d}, were estimated and correlated with DLC film stress, hardness, and the amount of argon and hydrogen content retained. The DLC properties (hardness and film stress) were maximal when the J{sub i}/J{sub d} value ranged between 0.6 and 0.8. The balance between ion-energy transfer and relaxation in the surface and subsurface carbon atoms may explain the DLC growth in this work. The role of ion-current flux in the PIID process was found to be as important as it is in conventional ion beam assisted deposition processing. {copyright} {ital 1999 American Vacuum Society.}

• OSTI ID: 336663
• Report Number(s): CONF-9806211--
• Journal Information: Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology. B, Microelectronics Processing and Phenomena, Journal Name: Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology. B, Microelectronics Processing and Phenomena Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 17; ISSN 0734-211X; ISSN JVTBD9
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
AMORPHOUS STATE
ARGON
CARBON
ENERGY BEAM DEPOSITION
HARDNESS
HYDROGEN
ION BEAMS
PLASMA
STRESSES
THIN FILMS