TEA CO 2 pulsed laser deposition of silicon suboxide films

Abstract

The growth of silicon suboxide films ( SiO x, x<2 ) by pulsed TEA CO 2 laser ablation of SiO target at low substrate temperatures (⩽425°C) in vacuum is reported. To understand the wavenumber shift of the asymmetric stretching band ν(Si–O) with temperature the subbands obtained by fitting of infrared spectra using X-ray photoelectron data were located and studied. The structural properties of deposited films were investigated. Since relative concentration of oxygen is almost constant and relative concentration of elemental silicon and SiO 2 in the films increases with the substrate temperature the shift of asymmetric stretching band ν(Si–O) can be explained by rearrangement and relaxation processes in the films and/or by moving of oxygen atoms from Si 2O, SiO and Si 2O 3 to Si and SiO 2 silicon species creating the films.