Preparation of silicon carbide nitride films on Si substrate by pulsed high-energy density plasma

Abstract Thin films of silicon carbide nitride (SiCN) were prepared on (111) oriented silicon substrates by pulsed high-energy density plasma (PHEDP). The evolution of the chemical bonding states between silicon, nitrogen and carbon was investigated as a function of discharge voltage using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. With an increase in discharge voltage both the C 1s and N 1s spectra shift to lower binding energy due to the formation of C Si and N Si bonds. The Si C N bonds were observed in the deconvolved C 1s and N 1s spectra. The X-ray diffractometer (XRD) results show that there were no crystals in the films. The thickness of the films was approximately 1-2 μm with scanning electron microscopy (SEM).