Abstract
The photoluminescence (PL) of a-SiC:H thin films, deposited in a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition process from liquid organosilane sources degrades under ultraviolet (UV) exposure (325 nm). UV illumination reduces the PL intensity of as-grown films usually to one-half of the initial intensity. The UV-induced decay of the PL follows a stretched exponential time dependence. Annealing of the films at about 400°C in nitrogen atmosphere increases both the UV stable and the unstable part of the PL, by a factor 1.5 to 3 dependent on the starting material. We have investigated the annealing behaviour for different starting materials. Best results with respect to reproducible UV-stable PL are obtained for hexamethyldisilazane. Infrared absorption spectra indicate that the UV exposure is accompanied by photo-oxidation, while annealing in inert gas atmosphere results in a decrease of hydrogen-related vibrations. We discuss the structural changes in the a-SiC:H thin films caused by UV illumination and by thermal annealing on the basis of the spectroscopic investigations.
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