Electronic and atomic structures of Si–C–N thin film by X-ray-absorption spectroscopy

Abstract

Abstract This study measures X-ray absorption spectra of crystalline (c)-Si–C–N thin film at the C and Si K-edge using the sample drain current mode, and at the N K-edge using the fluorescent mode. A resonance peak resembling the C 1s core exciton in CVD-diamond/Si is observed, and a broad feature occurring in the energy range between ∼290 and 300 eV can be assigned to the antibonding C 2p–Si 3sp hybridized states and the C 2p–N 2sp hybridized states as well. Analysis of the N K-edge near edge absorption spectra reveals a similar feature in c-Si–C–N and a-Si3N4, suggesting that nitrogen atoms generally have similar local environment in these two materials. Moreover, results obtained from Si K-edge absorption spectra for c-Si–C–N demonstrate a proportional combination of local Si–N and Si–C bonds, associated with the local tetrahedral C–Si–N3 as well as the long-range ordered atomic structure around Si atoms.