G. Soto et al., GROWTH OF SIC AND SICXNY FILMS BY PULSED-LASER ABLATION OF SIC IN AR AND N-2 ENVIRONMENTS, Journal of vacuum science & technology. A. Vacuum, surfaces, and films, 16(3), 1998, pp. 1311-1315
Citations number
25
Categorie Soggetti
Physics, Applied","Materials Science, Coatings & Films
Amorphous SiC and SiCxNy films have been deposited by pulsed laser dep
osition on single crystal silicon substrates by KrF (248 nm) excimer l
aser ablation of a SiC sintered target in a vacuum system at room temp
erature using nonreactive, Ar, and reactive, N-2, background gases at
different pressures. The pressure range in the growth chamber was from
4x10(-8) Torr to 80 mTorr. The optical properties and stoichiometry o
f films were varied by the introduction of a background gas. The resul
ting films are inspected by spectroellipsometry in the photon-energy r
ange of 1.5<hv <5.0 eV. In situ high resolution x-ray photoemission sp
ectroscopy characterization was performed on every film to obtain the
atomic concentration and bonding constitution of the elements as a fun
ction of background gas pressure. The ideal stoichiometry for SiC film
s was obtained at Ar pressures higher than 30 mT. The existence of a n
ew phase, given by SiCN2, was suggested from surface techniques and el
lipsometric data in the deposition of SiCxNy films at N-2 pressures hi
gher than 30 mTorr. (C) 1998 American Vacuum Society.