Sub-micro a-C:H patterning of silicon surfaces assisted by atmospheric-pressure plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition

Abstract

Micro and nano-patterning of surfaces is an increasingly popular challenge in the field of the miniaturization of devices assembled via top-down approaches. This study demonstrates the possibility of depositing sub-micrometric localized coatings—spots, lines or even more complex shapes—made of amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H) thanks to a moving XY stage. Deposition was performed on silicon substrates using chemical vapor deposition assisted by an argon atmospheric-pressure plasma jet. Acetylene was injected into the post-discharge region as a precursor by means of a glass capillary with a sub-micrometric diameter. A parametric study was carried out to study the influence of the geometric configurations (capillary diameter and capillary-plasma distance) on the deposited coating. Thus, the patterns formed were investigated by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Furthermore, the chemical composition of large coated areas was investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy according to the chosen atmospheric environment. The observed chemical bonds show that reactions of the gaseous precursor in the discharge region and both chemical and morphological stability of the patterns after treatment are strongly dependent on the surrounding gas. Various sub-micrometric a-C:H shapes were successfully deposited under controlled atmospheric conditions using argon as inerting gas. Overall, this new process of micro-scale additive manufacturing by atmospheric plasma offers unusually high-resolution at low cost.