Synthesis of silicon carbide nitride nanocomposite films by a simple electrochemical method

Silicon carbide nitride (SiCN) nanocomposite films have been deposited on silicon substrates by using of a simple electrochemical method from a methanol solution of hexamethyldisilazane ((CH3)3-Si-NH-Si-(CH3)3, HMDSN) at atmospheric pressure and low temperature. The electrodeposited composite films were characterized by XPS, FTIR, XRD, and AFM, respectively. As the results, the films are amorphous carbon films containing β-Si3N4, α-Si3N4, and SiC crystalline grains. The introduction of HMDSN contributes to promote the growth of the carbon films and leads to the formation of the Si3N4 and SiC crystalline grains.