Low Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition of Thin Film GeO2 ‐ SiO2 Glasses

Films of germania‐silica glasses were prepared by low pressure chemical vapor deposition using a horizontal tube‐type reactor. The design and operating principles of the system are described, as are the kinetics and properties of the deposited glass films. The films were grown at different temperatures (250°–600°C), at different flow rates (30–60 sccm) and at different gas‐phase ratios of and . It was found that under otherwise similar reactor conditions, the deposition rate is much greater for higher silane to germane gas ratios. It was also found that catalyzes the decomposition of . Studies of the deposited films show that their index of refraction changes linearly with a change in solid‐phase composition, and that the stress of these films, as deposited on silicon (100) substrates, varies between 10 8 –10 9 dyne/cm 2 when the mole fraction incorporated in the film varies from 1.0 to 0.0.