AVS 51st International Symposium
    Thin Films Friday Sessions
       Session TF-FrM

Paper TF-FrM10
Optimal Control on Composition and Optical Properties of Silicon Oxynitride Thin Films

Friday, November 19, 2004, 11:20 am, Room 303C

Session: In-Situ/Ex-Situ & Real-Time Monitoring
Presenter: E.C. Samano, CCMC-UNAM, Mexico
Authors: E.C. Samano, CCMC-UNAM, Mexico
J. Camacho, CCMC-UNAM, Mexico
R. Machorro, CCMC-UNAM, Mexico
Correspondent: Click to Email
The desire to merge the most advantageous physical and chemical properties of both SiO@sub 2@ and Si@sub 3@N@sub 4@ in an optimum combination tailored to various applications in electrical, optical and optoelectronic thin films has pushed a continuous interest in the processing of SiO@sub x@N@sub y@ thin films. Inhomogeneous thin film filters have had an increasing importance in the industry as optical filters. Silicon oxynitride, SiO@sub x@N@sub y@, is a very interesting material for multiple applications, including graded refractive index films. The refractive index can be changed from pure silicon dioxide (1.47) to silicon nitride (2.4) by just varying the film composition. We report the growth of SiO@sub x@N@sub y@ films by reactive laser ablation using two different solid targets, Si@sub 3@N@sub 4@ and Si, in the ambient of N@sub 2@ and O@sub 2@ at various pressures, introduced separately in the growth chamber, as the film is monitored by real time ellipsometry. The oxidation rate in the films is studied for both targets. The composition of the films is in situ determined by AES and XPS. The evolution of the chemical bonding of the species in the film is done by FTIR. The SiO@sub x@N@sub y@ film stoichiometry, bonding character and optical properties are compared as a function of O@sub 2@ pressure while N@sub 2@ pressure is maintained fixed as either the Si@sub 3@N@sub 4@ or Si target is ablated.