| AVS 58th Annual International Symposium and Exhibition | |
| Plasma Science and Technology Division | Thursday Sessions |
| Session PS+TF-ThM |
| Session: | Plasma Deposition and Plasma Enhanced ALD |
| Presenter: | Lirong Sun, General Dynamics Information Technology |
| Authors: | L. Sun, General Dynamics Information Technology A. Reed, Air Force Resarch Laboratory H. Jiang, General Dynamics Information Technology J.T. Grant, University of Dayton Research Institute R. Jakubiak, Air Force Resarch Laboratory |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
In this work plasma-polymerized (PP-) TiOxCy films derived from titanium (IV) isopropoxide (TTIP) were deposited onto Si and KBr substrates using remote, room temperature plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). The composition and morphology of the films was varied by systematically changing the ratio of Ar to O2 in the carrier gas. Chemical compositions were investigated by FTIR and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Morphological data derived atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) studies showed that the morphology was strongly dependent on the ratio of oxygen to total carrier gas composition. The films grown with Ar as the majority carrier gas have a featureless, smooth, one phase 3-D crosslinking morphology due to the incomplete oxidation of Ti to the most stable Ti4+ valence state during deposition in an oxygen poor environment. As the mixture of carrier gas became more O2 rich a second phase evolved that had a columnar structure attributed to TiO2. This increase in oxidation was also noted in high resolution XPS measurements where a peak corresponding to a carboxyl group in the C 1s spectrum increases with increasing O2 concentration. Development of the structured second phase was also noted in the optical dispersion obtained by spectroscopic ellipsometry. In order to fit the data, an anisotropic model has to be used that took into account the surface roughness determined from the AFM and SEM studies.