Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
9809881 Surface and Coatings Technology 2005 6 Pages PDF
Abstract
Silicon nitride (SiNx) thin films of various stoichiometries (x) were prepared on Si (100) substrates applying the Nd:YAG (λ=1064 nm) pulsed laser deposition (PLD) process from pure Si targets in the “shaded off-axis” technique at room temperature. The specific arrangement of this technique with perpendicular target and substrate surfaces and a metallic screen in between guarantees very low particulate (droplet) deposition and, thus, excellent surface qualities. The about 80- to 100-nm-thick silicon nitride films have very smooth surfaces (∼0.5-1.5 nm roughness) and dense structures. The N2 partial pressure strongly influences the nitrogen content and the silicon bonding structure of the films analyzed by means of secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), resp. As a consequence, the optical properties examined by spectroscopic ellipsometry are tailorable in a wide spectral range between 250 and 1200 nm.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering Materials Science Nanotechnology
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