Microstructure and chemical bonding in silicon carbonitride films synthesized by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition

Silicon carbonitride films were synthesized by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition using silyl derivatives of asymmetric dimethylhydrazine, (CH3)(2)HSiNHN(CH3)(2) and (CH3)(2)Si[NHN(CH3)(2)](2), as molecular precursors. The film material consists of an amorphous matrix with nanocrystalline inclusions. Indexing of synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction patterns suggests that the structure of the nanocrystals is tetragonal with lattice parameters a = 9.6 Angstrom and c = 6.4 Angstrom. X-ray photoelectron spectra indicate that Si-N and C-N sp(3) hybrid bonds are predominant. The absence of G- or D-modes in Raman spectra,. which are otherwise typical of structures possessing sp(2) bonding, provides further support for the tetragonal structure of the nanocrystals.