Amorphous SiC films prepared by low-energy cluster beam deposition

Abstract Amorphous silicon carbide films have been prepared by low-energy cluster beam deposition. Transmission electron microscopy and tapping mode atomic force microscopy reveal the structure of the film which is formed by a random distribution of SiC nanoparticles. The size of the particles was about 8–10 nm and it is greater than the size of the incident free particles (less than 1 nm). However, the inner structure of the supported particles does not reveal long-range order. Both Raman spectroscopy and Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy show clearly limited chemical ordering and phase separation evidenced by the presence of silicon-rich, carbon-rich and SiC-rich areas.