Effect of Thermal Annealing on the Optical and Structural Properties of the a-SiC Thin Films Deposited by DC Magnetron Sputtering

Hydrogenated Amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC:H) thin films were prepared by DC magnetron sputtering technique using 6H-SiC polycrystalline target in a mixture of H2and Ar gas. They were thermally annealed at various temperatures up to 800 °C. The a-SiC:H films were deposited at different hydrogen partial pressure rates varying from 0 to 9 sccm on p-type Si(100) and Corning glass 9075 substrates. The annealing temperatures were varied and the samples were characterized by Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy and Ellipsometry spectroscopy. The previous results of infrared and Raman spectroscopy reveal structural modifications in the material structure of the layers through a reduction of the thickness and optical gap and the variation of the refractive index during the annealing.

[1]  G. M. Rao,et al.  Influence of Si–C bond density on the properties of a-Si1−xCx thin films , 2012 .

[2]  F. Finger,et al.  Microstructure and electronic properties of microcrystalline silicon carbide thin films prepared by hot-wire CVD , 2011 .

[3]  Chi Kyu Choi,et al.  Comparison between SiOC Thin Film by plasma enhance chemical vapor deposition and SiO 2 Thin Film by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy , 2010 .

[4]  M. Khakani,et al.  Effect of thermal annealing on the structural and mechanical properties of amorphous silicon carbide films prepared by polymer-source chemical vapor deposition , 2010 .

[5]  C. Berthold,et al.  Thermal annealing of SiC thin films with varying stoichiometry , 2009 .

[6]  Gavin Conibeer,et al.  Evolution of Si (and SiC) nanocrystal precipitation in SiC matrix , 2008 .

[7]  B. Akaoglu,et al.  Carbon content influence on the optical constants of hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbon alloys , 2008 .

[8]  Partha S. Dutta,et al.  Low temperature deposition of nanocrystalline silicon carbide films by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition and their structural and optical characterization , 2003 .

[9]  S. Suh,et al.  Annealing Effect on the Optical Properties of a-SiC:H Films Deposited by PECVD , 2002 .

[10]  C. Pirri,et al.  Structural and optical properties of hydrogenated amorphous silicon-carbon alloys grown by plasmaenhanced chemical vapour deposition at various rf powers , 2002 .

[11]  S. S. Camargo,et al.  Annealing effects on near stoichiometric a-SiC:H films , 1999 .

[12]  F. Demichelis,et al.  Structural evolution in α-SiC:H induced by thermal annealing as deduced by optical properties , 1992 .

[13]  Giorgio Kaniadakis,et al.  Annealing temperature dependence of the optical properties of sputtered hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide , 1991 .

[14]  F. Demichelis,et al.  Hydrogen evolution in amorphous silicon carbide , 1991 .

[15]  M. Gorman,et al.  Direct evidence for homonuclear bonds in amorphous SiC , 1974 .

[16]  J. E. Smith,et al.  Raman Spectra of Amorphous Si and Related Tetrahedrally Bonded Semiconductors , 1971 .

[17]  S. Suh,et al.  Influence of hydrogen on a-SiC:H films deposited by RF-PECVD and annealing effect , 2003 .

[18]  E. Tresso,et al.  Properties of a-SiC:H films and solar cells , 1999 .