The influence of Ar addition on the structure of an a-SiOCF film prepared by plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition

The preparation of a-SiOCF films from Si(OC2H5)(4), C4F8 and/or Ar using a plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition method is reported. The chemical bonding structures of the films are analysed by high-resolution x-ray phot oelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectros copy. The results show that the films contain F-Si-O-Si, Si-OH, Si-O-Si, C- CF and C-F configurations. However, as for the film deposited from the feed ing gases with Ar, a C-C configuration is also included in addition to the above-mentioned configurations. This indicates that the existence of Ar in the plasma leads to the formation of a fluorocarbon structure with a high d egree of cross-linking. No evidence reveals the presence of a Si-C bond in the film, so it is believed that the fluorocarbon is perhaps embedded into the matrix of SiOF.