Laser assisted chemical vapour deposition of silicon oxide layers

This paper focuses on the deposition of silicon oxide thin films, using las er assisted CVD based on a CO2 laser, and on the feasibility of the process for coating porous silicon samples. Scanning electron and atomic force mic roscopy were used to analyse the morphology and microstructure of the films , while structure and chemical composition were determined by Fourier trans form infrared and Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy. Two-wavelength el lipsometry was used for thickness and refractive index evaluation. The phot oluminescence of SiO2/PS was measured and compared with that of uncoated sa mples. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.