Structural and Optical Investigations of Silicon Carbon Nitride Thin Films Deposited by Magnetron Sputtering

Tomasella, Éric; Spinelle, Laurent; Bousquet, Angélique; Rebib, Farida; Dubois, Marc; Eypert, C.; Gaston, Jean Paul; Cellier, J.; Sauvage, Thierry

doi:10.1002/ppap.200930103

Cited by 24 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…According to Refs. , this C–C band could be described as a random covalent network of tetrahedral–trigonal bonded carbons (mixed sp 2 and sp 3 hybridization) with distorted bond angles and lengths. The broad band at about 2890 cm −1 was attributed to the second‐order phonon of carbon .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Optical and magnetic resonance study of a-SiC_x N_y films obtained by magnetron sputtering

Савченко

Kulikovsky

Vorlı́ček

et al. 2014

Phys. Status Solidi B

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Amorphous silicon carbonitride (a‐SiCxNy) thin films deposited on the SiO2 substrates by reactive magnetron sputtering was studied by Raman and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. Raman analysis indicates the presence of C–N, Si–N, C–C bonds in a‐SiCxNy films. Three EPR signals were revealed in a‐SiCxNy/SiO2. One of them with g = 2.0033 was attributed to the carbon‐dangling bonds (CDB). Based on the lineshape and linewidth, the EPR signal was attributed to the unpaired electron delocalized over sp2 carbon cluster. With the increase of nitrogen (N) content, the spin density of CDB significantly increases. From the temperature dependence of the linewidth and integral intensity of the CDB EPR signal, it was concluded that the antiferromagnetic ordering occurs in spin system. The antiferromagnetic exchange constant between CDBs was found to be J = −32 K. The second EPR signal having g = 2.009 was attributed to the interface defect representing threefold‐coordinated Si dangling bond, which may appear due to the formation of the oxidized Si on the film surface. The third EPR signal with g = 2.05 was tentatively attributed to the trapped holes at Si atom near Si/SiO2 interface. The N incorporation in a‐SiCx/SiO2 has no effect on the spin density of both interface defects.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…It was found that the increase of N concentration leads to the increase of DB densities in a‐SiC x N y films. However, the parameters of the DBs like g ‐value, linewidth and lineshape was not available in the literature . The parameters of the DBs were reported for a‐SiC and hydrogenated C‐rich (a‐Si 1− x C x :H) films.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optical and magnetic resonance study of a-SiC_x N_y films obtained by magnetron sputtering

Савченко

Kulikovsky

Vorlı́ček

et al. 2014

Phys. Status Solidi B

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“…Depending on the molar composition they can exhibit extremely high hardness [1], elevated-temperature creep resistance [2], oxidation resistance at temperatures up to 1600°C [3], low friction coefficient [4], attractive tribological properties [5], tunable optical properties [6,7], and multitude of other desirable properties. Therefore, a-SiC x N y coatings are considered for high temperature wear protective applications due to their excellent thermal and mechanical properties.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mechanical properties of amorphous silicon carbonitride thin films at elevated temperatures

2014

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The mechanical properties of amorphous silicon carbonitride (a-SiC x N y ) films with various nitrogen content (y = 0-40 at.%) were investigated in situ at elevated temperatures up to 650°C in inert atmosphere. A SiC film was measured also at 700°C in air. The hardness and elastic modulus were evaluated using instrumented nanoindentation with thermally stable cubic boron nitride Berkovich indenter. Both the sample and the indenter were separately heated during the experiments to temperatures of 300, 500, and 650°C. Short duration high temperature creep tests (1200 s) of the films were also carried out. The results revealed that the room temperature hardness and elastic modulus deteriorate with the increase of the nitrogen content. Furthermore, the hardness of both the a-SiC and the a-SiCN films with lower nitrogen content at 300°C drops to approx. 77 % of the corresponding room temperature values, while it reduces to 69 % for the a-SiCN film with 40 at.% of nitrogen. Further increase of temperature is accompanied with minor reduction in hardness except for the a-SiCN film with highest nitrogen content, where the hardness decreases at a much faster rate. Upon heating up to 500°C, the elastic modulus of the a-SiCN film decreases, while it increases at 650°C due to the pronounced effect of short-range ordering. The steady-state creep rate increases at elevated temperatures and the a-SiC exhibits slower creep rates compared to the a-SiCN films. The value of the universal constant x = 7 relating the W p /W t and H/E * was established and its applicability was demonstrated. Analysis of the experimental indentation data suggests a theoretical limit of hardness to elastic modulus ratio of 0.143.

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“…Silicon carbonitride films have attracted attention in recent years due to their outstanding physical, chemical, and mechanical properties that stem from the formation of strongly bonded three‐dimensional structural network. In dependence on actual composition, SiCN films can possess high hardness and strength, attractive tribological properties, tunable optical properties, tunable electrical resistivity, excellent abrasive wear, corrosion as well as oxidation resistance characteristics . Recently, the relatively stable hardness of the SiCN coatings with limited N content was proved with in situ high‐temperature nanoindentation measurements up to 650°C .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mechanical Properties and Microstructural Characterization of Amorphous SiC_xN_y Thin Films After Annealing Beyond 1100°C

et al. 2015

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The effect of thermal annealing on structure and mechanical properties of amorphous SiCxNy (y ≥ 0) thin films was investigated up to 1500°C in air and Ar. The SiCxNy films (2.2–3.4 μm) were deposited by reactive DC magnetron sputtering on Si, Al2O3 and α‐SiC substrates without intentional heating and at 600°C. The SiC target with small excess of carbon was sputtered at various N2/Ar gas flow ratios (0–0.48). The nitrogen content in the films changes in the range 0–43 at.%. Hardness and elastic modulus (nanoindentation), change in film thickness, film composition, and structure (Raman spectroscopy, XRD) were investigated in dependence on annealing temperature and nitrogen content. All SiCxNy films preserve their amorphous structure up to 1500°C. The hardness of all as‐deposited and both air‐ and Ar‐annealed SiCxNy films decreases with growth of nitrogen content. The annealing in Ar at temperatures of 1100°C–1300°C results in noticeable hardness growth despite the ordering of graphite‐like structure in carbon clusters in nitrogen free films. Unlike the SiC, this graphitization leads to hardness saturation of SiCN films starting above 900°C, especially for films with higher nitrogen content (deposited at higher N2/Ar). This indicates the practical hardness limit achievable by thermal treatment for SiCxNy films deposited on unheated substrates. The ordering in carbon phase is facilitated by the presence of nitrogen in the films and its extent is controlled by the N/C atomic ratio. The suppression of graphitization was observed for N/C ranging between 0.5–0.7. Films deposited at 600°C show higher hardness and oxidation resistance after annealing in comparison with those deposited on unheated substrates. Hardness reaches 40 GPa for SiC and ~28 GPa for SiCxNy (35 at.% of nitrogen). Such a high hardness of SiC film stems from its partial crystallization. Annealing of SiCxNy film (35 at.% of N) in Ar at 1400°C is accompanied by formation of numerous hillocks (indicating heterogeneous structure of amorphous films) and redistribution of film material.

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Structural and Optical Investigations of Silicon Carbon Nitride Thin Films Deposited by Magnetron Sputtering

Cited by 24 publications

References 25 publications

Optical and magnetic resonance study of a-SiC_x N_y films obtained by magnetron sputtering

Optical and magnetic resonance study of a-SiC_x N_y films obtained by magnetron sputtering

Mechanical properties of amorphous silicon carbonitride thin films at elevated temperatures

Mechanical Properties and Microstructural Characterization of Amorphous SiC_xN_y Thin Films After Annealing Beyond 1100°C

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Structural and Optical Investigations of Silicon Carbon Nitride Thin Films Deposited by Magnetron Sputtering

Cited by 24 publications

References 25 publications

Optical and magnetic resonance study of a-SiC x N y films obtained by magnetron sputtering

Optical and magnetic resonance study of a-SiC x N y films obtained by magnetron sputtering

Mechanical properties of amorphous silicon carbonitride thin films at elevated temperatures

Mechanical Properties and Microstructural Characterization of Amorphous SiCxNy Thin Films After Annealing Beyond 1100°C

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Product

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Optical and magnetic resonance study of a-SiC_x N_y films obtained by magnetron sputtering

Optical and magnetic resonance study of a-SiC_x N_y films obtained by magnetron sputtering

Mechanical Properties and Microstructural Characterization of Amorphous SiC_xN_y Thin Films After Annealing Beyond 1100°C