Amorphous silicon nitride films of different composition deposited at room temperature by pulsed glow discharge plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • Amorphous hydrogenated silicon nitride (a-SiNx:H) films of different compositions (0x1.18) were prepared by pulsed glow discharge plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition. The processing gases were silane and nitrogen at a substrate temperature 50C. The properties of the films were investigated using Rutherford backscattering, elastic recoil detection analysis, UVvisible optical absorption, Fourier transform infrared, and Raman spectroscopies, and nanoindentation. Depending on the value of x, the band gap of the films changes from 1.54to4.42eV, and hardness changes from 11.2to15.3GPa. Changes in the film properties are caused by formation of SiN bonds and by reducing disorder in the films. It is shown that hard and transparent silicon nitride films can be obtained at room temperature.

published proceedings

  • Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology A Vacuum Surfaces and Films

author list (cited authors)

  • Afanasyev-Charkin, I. V., Jacobsohn, L. G., Averitt, R. D., & Nastasi, M.

citation count

  • 20

publication date

  • November 2004