Microwave Plasma Process for SiCN:H Thin Films Synthesis with Composition Varying from SiC:H to SiN:H in H-2/N-2/Ar/Hexamethyldisilazane Gas Mixture

Mohammed Belmahi (1) , Simon Bulou (2) , Amanda Thouvenin (1) , Ludovic De Poucques (1) , Robert Hugon (1) , Laurent Le Brizoual (3, 4) , Patrice Miska (1) , Damien Genève (1) , Jean-Luc Vasseur (1) , Jamal Bougdira (1)

1 IJL - Institut Jean Lamour
2 Centre de Recherche Public - Gabriel Lippmann (LUXEMBOURG)
3 IMN - Institut des Matériaux Jean Rouxel
4 IETR - Institut d'Électronique et des Technologies du numéRique

SiCxNy:H thin films are obtained with the microwave plasma assisted chemical vapour deposition (MPACVD) method in the gas mixture H2/Ar/Hexamethyldisilazane. When very few amounts of nitrogen are added to the gas mixture, the film composition changes drastically from SiCx:H like films to SiNx:H like films, according to X-rays Photoelectron Spectroscopy and Fourier Transform Infra-Red Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis. The refractive index (n) and Tauc's optical gap (Eg) are modified over a wide range of values (1.75n2.15 and 3.5eVEg5eV) with nitrogen addition to the feed gas leading to thin films optical constants close to those of SiC or Si3N4. Therefore, for the films obtained without nitrogen, SiC nanoparticles with a size of about 20nm embedded in an amorphous SiCN:H matrix are synthesized, leading to nanocomposite films.

Domaines: Science des matériaux [cond-mat.mtrl-sci]

Mohammed Belmahi, Simon Bulou, Amanda Thouvenin, Ludovic De Poucques, Robert Hugon, et al.. Microwave Plasma Process for SiCN:H Thin Films Synthesis with Composition Varying from SiC:H to SiN:H in H-2/N-2/Ar/Hexamethyldisilazane Gas Mixture. Plasma Processes and Polymers, 2014, 11 (6), pp.551-558. ⟨10.1002/ppap.201300166⟩. ⟨hal-01284789⟩