Hydrogen, amorphous silicon nitride (SiN x :H abbreviated SiN x ) films were grown on multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) substrate by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) in parallel configuration using NH 3 /SiH 4 gas mixtures. The mc-Si wafers were taken from the same column of Si cast ingot. After the deposition process, the layers were oxidized (thermal oxidation) in dry oxygen ambient environment at 950°C to get oxide/nitride (ON) structure. Secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS), Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) were employed for analyzing quantitatively the chemical composition and stoichiometry in the oxide-nitride stacked films. The effect of annealing temperature on the chemical composition of ON structure has been investigated. Some species, O, N, Si were redistributed in this structure during the thermal oxidation of SiN x . Indeed, oxygen diffused to the nitride layer into Si 2 O 2 N during dry oxidation.
Synthesis and characterisation of silicon nanocrystals (Si NCs) materials are carried out. We investigated the morphological and structural Si NCs embedded in the silicon nitride (SiN x ) matrix. The study has been carried out on thin films thermally annealed at high temperature by rapid thermal annealing after deposition at 380°C by plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition. Our study evidenced the existence of an Si NCs embedded on the SiN x matrix. This has been proven by Raman spectra and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM). A sharp peak at a frequency of 515 cm −1 ascribed to the transverse optical (TO) mode becomes broader and makes a symmetric shoulder on the higher frequency side with an increase in the annealing temperature. HR-TEM analyses have demonstrated that Si NCs having a mean radius ranging between 3 and 5 nm. This confirms the a-SiN phase transition to the c-SiN phase by the formation of silicon NCs.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.