Abstract:
Silicon nitride, silicon oxide, and silicon oxynitride thin films
were deposited on the Si substrate by inductively coupled plasma chemical
vapor deposition and annealed at 1100 °C for 3 min in an Ar environment.
Silicon nitride and silicon oxide films deposited at ratios of the reactant flow
rates of SiH4/N2 = 1.875 and SiH4/N2O = 3, respectively, were Si-rich, while Si
excess for the oxynitride film (SiH4/N2/N2O = 3:2:2) was not found.
Annealing resulted in a thickness decrease and structural transformation for
SiOx and SiNx films. Nanocrystalline phases of Si as well as α- and β-Si3N4 were
found in the annealed silicon nitride film. Compared to oxide and nitride films,
the oxynitride film is the least susceptible to change during annealing. The
relationship between the structure, composition, and optical properties of the
Si-based films has been revealed. It has been shown that the calculated optical
parameters (refractive index, extinction coefficient) reflect structural
peculiarities of the as-deposited and annealed films.
