Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy study of thermal annealing behavior of ECR pulsed plasma deposited fluorocarbon thin films from 1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethane
Cb. Labelle et Kk. Gleason, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy study of thermal annealing behavior of ECR pulsed plasma deposited fluorocarbon thin films from 1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethane, J ELCHEM SO, 147(2), 2000, pp. 678-681
Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) reveals structural changes i
n high and low, and on and off pulsed C2H2F4 ECR plasma deposited films upo
n thermal annealing. A significant improvement in thermal stability was ach
ieved when the precursor now rate was increased to 50 standard cubic centim
eters per minute for high/low pulsing. Evolution of CF3 groups attached to
unfluorinated carbons has been identified as a low temperature loss mechani
sm in one of these films. Annealing produces shifts in asymmetric vs. symme
tric CF2 stretch intensities, as well as initiating of CH stretches. In the
1400-2000 cm(-1) range, a systematic change from carbon-carbon double bond
ing structures to carbon-oxygen bonding structures results. These variation
s may be due to either additional oxygen absorption after annealing or reac
tion between oxygen and fluorocarbon network sites that were previously una
vailable due to the steric hindrance. In most films, the thermal stability
was dominated by oxygen and hydrogen uptake. The film with the highest oxyg
en and hydrogen content after annealing also had the lowest thermal stabili
ty. Thus, minimizing both CF3 and susceptibility to oxygen and water uptake
by the deposited films would appear to be a valid strategy for increasing
film thermal stability. (C) 2000 The Electrochemical Society. S0013-4651(99
)09-020-5. All rights reserved.