AVS 53rd International Symposium
    Applied Surface Science Thursday Sessions
       Session AS-ThP

Paper AS-ThP22
MD/MC Simulations of Reactive Sputtering Deposition of Amorphous SiO2

Thursday, November 16, 2006, 5:30 pm, Room 3rd Floor Lobby

Session: Aspects of Applied Surface Science Poster Session
Presenter: M. Taguchi, Osaka University, Japan
Authors: M. Taguchi, Osaka University, Japan
S. Hamaguchi, Osaka University, Japan
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Silicon Dioxide (SiO2) thin film deposition processes were studied with the use of classical Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations combined with Monte Carlo (MC) simulations. The effects of the incident energy and angle of deposition species on film properties and high energetic argon ions during reactive sputtering deposition processes for amorphous SiO2 are examined. From the simulation results, it has been confirmed that some properties of the deposited film strongly depend on the incident energy and angle of Si atoms sputtered from the target. For example, the film density is shown to become lower at lower Si incident energy and larger Si incident angles. The stoichiometry of the film expressed by the ratio of the number of O atoms to that of Si atoms contained in the film has been also shown to increase as the Si incident energy decreases and Si incident angle increases. In other words, as the vertical momentum of Si atoms becomes small, the film becomes more oxygen rich and porous. Possible physical mechanisms causing these effects are also discussed from the viewpoint of motion of incident Si atoms interacting with the surface atoms. It is also confirmed that additional injections of highly energetic argon ions further press the SiO2 thin films to make them denser. If the argon incident kinetic energy is sufficiently high, however, etching of the deposited films also takes place.