Rf bias evaporation (ion plating) of nonmetal thin films

Abstract

The technique of ion plating, which is widely used for the deposition of metallic films, has been successfully applied to the deposition of II–VI compounds by using high-voltage rf instead of dc biasing of the substrate. As a hybrid of evaporation and bias sputtering, this technique retains the advantages while avoiding most of the disadvantages of each. The deposited films have the uniformity and adherence of bias-sputtered films but are deposited as rapidly as evaporated films. The inherent potential of this method for ion implantation has been explored in doping ZnSe up to 1% with P and Li. The resistivity of freshly prepared ZnSe: Li films was of the order of 105–106 Ω cm; however, it increased rapidly upon exposure to light or moisture and made type determination unfeasible.