Nitrogen incorporation in amorphous SiCN layers prepared from electron cyclotron resonance plasmas

Electron cyclotron resonance plasma chemical vapor deposition with nitrogen , methane, and argon-diluted silane as precursors has been used to prepare SiCN thin films. Optical emission from CN species in the plasma has been ob served. Infrared measurements show that most of the nitrogen is incorporate d to the thin solid films in the form of Si-N, C=N and C=N bonds suggesting a basic structure of incomplete SiN tetrahedra with C=N and C=N bridging b onds. The deposited films are nearly transparent in the visible range with a weak absorption threshold between 2.2 and 3.5 eV.