FURTHER-STUDIES OF ION-BEAM-ASSISTED DEPOSITION OF SI-C FILMS IN REACTIVE ENVIRONMENTS

Several different reactive gases were introduced into an ion-beam-assi sted deposition system as precursors to achieve low temperature synthe sis of Si-C films. The substrate on which the films were grown was bom barded concurrently by an argon ion beam. By using Rutherford backscat tering spectroscopy and elastic recoil detection, it was shown that th e films produced had a range of C/Si ratios from carbon rich to silico n rich and doped with argon and hydrogen. The coatings with near-stoic hiometric composition demonstrated a Knoop hardness higher than that o f bulk SIC materials. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis showed a binding energy shift resulting from ion bombardment. (C) 1996 Ameri can Vacuum Society.