Effect of deposition temperature on the properties of amorphous silicon carbide thin films

Silicon carbide films were deposited on n-type Si substrates (111) of resistivity 2–7 Ω cm in a high-frequency parallel-plate plasma reactor. The deposition temperatures were 250, 350 and 450 °C, respectively. The RBS results showed that the concentrations of Si and C in the films depend a little on the deposition temperature. The films contain a small amount of oxygen and nitrogen. IR results showed the presence of Si–C, Si–H, C–H, Si–O, Si–N specific bonds. The AFM micrographs revealed that the film surface is rather smooth and compact.