Influence of hydrogen dilution and substrate temperature on growth of nanocrystalline hydrogenated silicon carbide films deposited by RF sputtering

Hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon carbide (nc-SiC: H) thin films were prepared by radiofrequency magnetron sputtering. Deposition was effectuated in plasma of Argon and Hydrogen mixture with several proportions (30-80% 142) and at different substrate temperatures (ambient, 500 degrees C). The films microstructure was studied by means of FTIR and Raman spectroscopy. These two techniques helped us to have an idea on the composition of our samples and the existing species. A comparative study of the obtained results has allowed us to make conclusions about the role of both hydrogen dilution and substrate temperature on deposition of layers with good parameters in terms of crystallinity and optical properties. These observations were correlated with those obtained by diffraction and high-resolution TEM. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.