REOXIDATION OF SILICON SUBSTRATES DURING THE SPUTTER DEPOSITION OF OXIDIC THIN-FILMS

Thin films of strontium titanate and yttria stabilized zirconia have been deposited by rf-magnetron sputtering onto differently pretreated silicon surfaces. The analysis with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that at low deposition pressures even in a pure argon atmosphere a drastic oxidation of the silicon surface takes place. This oxidation is traced back to the formation of energetic oxygen particles in the sputtering plasma. In order to perform a heteroepitaxial growth of oxidic thin films it is therefore proposed either to use higher deposition pressures or a presputtering-phase using metallic targets.