Influence of Silicon Incorporation on the Properties of Hard a-C:H Films

Abstract

ABSTRACT- Results on the properties of silicon incorporated hard a-C:H films deposited on the cathode of a glow discharge decomposition system using methane and silane gaseous mixtures are reported. Obtained samples showed an increased deposition rate, high hardness comparable to that of a-C:H, and a large decrease of the internal stress upon silicon incorporation. The structure of the samples seems to be similar to diamond-like a-C:H, as revealed by the total hydrogen content, infrared absorption and hydrogen effusion experiments. Our results indicate that the observed reduction of residual internal stress may be attributed to a less compact material and/or to a smaller density of voids containing hydrogen in comparison to pure a-C:H.