Silicon carbonitride thin‐film coatings fabricated by remote hydrogen–nitrogen microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition from a single‐source precursor: Growth process, structure, and properties of the coatings

Silicon carbonitride (Si:C:N) films were produced by remote hydrogen–nitrogen microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (RP‐CVD) from a 1,1,3,3‐tetramethyldisilazane precursor with a nitrogen content {[N2]/([H2] + [N2])} of 0.88 in the plasma‐generating mixture and a substrate temperature in the range of 30–400°C. The effects of the substrate temperature on the rate and yield of the RP‐CVD process and chemical structure (examined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy) of the resulting films were investigated. The Si:C:N film properties were characterized in terms of the density, hardness, elastic modulus, and friction coefficient. With the IR structural data, reasonable structure–property relationships were determined.