Open-air laser-induced chemical vapor deposition of silicon carbide coatings

This study demonstrates the open-air deposition of amorphous hydrogenated silicon carbide (a-SiC:H) by laser-induced chemical vapor deposition (LCVD) using an enclosureless (open-air) reactor system. Films are deposited on fused quartz substrates using the precursor gas trimethylsilane (TrMS). Based on Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), Fourier transform infrared absorption spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), the film's chemical composition and microstructure is determined to be composed of a form of silicon carbide (SiC:H) with organic moiety. To understand the temperature-dependence of film growth during deposition, varying deposition conditions were employed to correlate the SiC film deposition rate and deposition temperature.