FORMATION OF CARBON NITRIDE FILMS ON SI(100) SUBSTRATES BY ELECTRON-CYCLOTRON-RESONANCE PLASMA-ASSISTED VAPOR-DEPOSITION

We report the growth of thin carbon nitride films on Si(100) substrates at temperatures in the range of 100-700-degrees-C using electron-beam evaporation of graphite assisted with electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma generated nitrogen species. The effect of the substrate temperature, and the nitrogen flow on the composition ratio C/N, and the C-N bonding were investigated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS), and Raman spectroscopy. The FTIR spectra show that the films produced exhibit a very high visible to infrared transmittance (0.85-0.95). These spectra were dominated by amine group (NH2) with the presence of C-N stretching modes. From both RBS and XPS, the nitrogen concentration in the film was calculated and was found in the range of 24%-48%, depending on the nitrogen partial pressure in the ECR source. Raman spectrum of the high nitrogen content thin film shows a well resolved peak at 1275 cm-1 suggesting the formation of a fourfold coordinated (sp3) CN film.