Evaluation of the Characters of a-SiC:H Films Deposited by RF Plasma CVD Technique

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide films have been deposited on Si substrates using tetramethylsilane and hydrogen gas mixtures by the RF plasma CVD (chemical vapor deposition) technique. In situ diagnosis of chemical bonding states on the substrates exposed to plasmas has been also performed by FT-IR (Fourier transform infrared) spectrophotometry technique. The influences of the substrate temperature and the effective self-bias potential of the powered electrode on the impurities of deposition have been investigated. It has been found that the impurities of the deposited films were decreased sufficiently by increasing the substrate temperature to 1073 K. It has been also shown that the impurities were decreased by decreasing the effective self-bias potential of the powered electrode.