MATRIX-ISOLATION FOURIER-TRANSFORM INFRARED SPECTROSCOPIC STUDY OF ENERGETIC NITROGEN FLUXES APPLIED TO FABRICATION OF NITRIDE THIN-FILMS -OBSERVATION OF N-3 RADICAL AND QUANTITATIVE ESTIMATION OF MATRIX-ISOLATED N ATOMS

The formation of stable molecules such as NH3, NO, N2O, and HCN as wel l as reactive transient species, e.g., NH, NH2 and N-3, resulting from the reactions of energetic N atoms with a residual background of H2O and hydrogen in cryogenic solid N-2 matrices at temperatures of 12-27 K has been studied in situ by Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Bombardment of the matrix by N and N-2 neutrals with estimated energies between 20 and 120 eV produces a concentration of N-3 radica ls linearly proportional to the beam flux. The lower limit concentrati on of active N atoms stored in a cryomatrix has been derived from FTIR spectroscopic measurements. (C) 1997 American Institute of Physics.