PREPARATION OF SIXCYHZ FILMS FROM METHYLSILANE BY PLASMA-ENHANCED CHEMICAL VAPOR-DEPOSITION

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide (Si(x)C(y)H(z)) films were synthesized by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition using monomethylsilane(CH3SiH3)as the precursor. Silicon (100) wafers and gold foils were employed as substrates. A mass spectrometric analysis of the plasma showed that the advantage of using monomethylsilane relative to a silane-hydrocarbon mixture is that the majority of the Si-C bonds were preserved in the CH3SiH3 plasma. The composition and the morphology of the Si(x)C(y)H(z) films was studied via X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy as a function of the substrate temperature, composition of the ion flux bombarding the surface, and kinetic energy of these ions. The oxygen content of the films was found to decrease monotonically with increasing substrate temperature.