PHASE-FORMATION AND STABILITY OF N-FILMS( IMPLANTED SIC THIN)

Silicon carbide amorphous thin films have been bombarded with 100 keV N ions. Infrared-absorption spectroscopy has been used to study the ef fect of increasing ion doses, up to 5 X 10(17) N+ cm(-2), on the evolu tion of chemical bonding between Si, C, and N. The changes induced by thermal annealing at different temperatures, up to 973 K, on the stabi lity of the bombardment induced SiCxNy phase are investigated, togethe r with the effect of surface oxidation during the postannealing coolin g of the films. The new phase is thermally stable within the temperatu re range investigated. At the highest implantation dose a threshold is reached above which N atoms are located as interstitial, or are weakl y bonded in the host film. Annealing at high enough temperature induce s migration toward the surface and subsequent loss of interstitial N. (C) 1997 American Institute of Physics.