High purity Si–C–N thin films with tailored composition on the tie line SiC–Si 3N 4

Abstract

Si–C–N thin films with tailored stoichiometries on the tie line SiC–Si 3N 4 have been produced by severalfold ion implantation and by a combination of RF magnetron sputtering and ion implantation, respectively. These high purity thin films have been heat treated at 1250 °C under high vacuum conditions using an electron beam annealing system to enable crystallisation and/or phase formation. Fourier transform infrared spectrometry as well as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy suggests the formation of an amorphous network of mixed Si(C,N) 4 tetrahedrons for the ternary compositions and evince the crystallisation of the binary SiC and Si 3N 4 thin films.