Non-heat assistance chemical vapor deposition of amorphous silicon carbide using monomethylsilane gas under argon plasma

Without any heating assistance, argon plasma and monomethylsilane gas were used for forming silicon carbide film on various substrates, such as aluminum, stainless steel and polyimide. After cleaning the substrate surface by an argon plasma treatment at less than 10 Pa and 0.36 W/cm2, the monomethylsilane gas at the concentration of 5% was introduced into the argon plasma at 10-15 Pa within 20 min. Based on this process, a dense amorphous silicon carbide film thicker than 200 nm could be produced. The obtained film could perfectly protect the aluminum substrate surface from corrosion by a hydrogen chloride aqueous solution. The same process could form a silicon carbide film on the surfaces of a stainless steel plate and polyimide film.