Crystallization of silicon nitride thin films synthesized by plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition

This paper reports on a unique crystallization phenomenon of amorphous plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposited SiNx thin films induced by heating to temperatures ⩾1148 K in air. The crystallization occurs as randomly scattered pits, within which clusters of smaller crystals form. The crystals formed are free of oxygen and are identified to be α-Si3N4. The crystallization is associated with a large volume contraction, which results in internal cracking.