Structural properties and preparation of Si-rich Si1-x C x thin films by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering

Si-rich silicon carbide (Si1-x C x ) thin films were prepared by radio-frequency (2MHz, 13.56MHz and 27.12MHz) magnetron sputtering. Their structural properties were investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The effect of ions energy on films deposition was also analyzed by retarding field energy analyzer. The results show that the films compositions are related to the energy of ions impacting the SiC target. At the lower sputtering power, Si-rich Si1-x C x (1-x =0.57-0.90) thin films can be well deposited.