The Influence of AlN Intermediate Layer on the Structural and Chemical Properties of SiC Thin Films Produced by High-Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering

Author(s)

Galvao, Nierlly ^[1] ; Guerino, Marciel ^[1] ; Campos, Tiago ^[1] ; Grigorov, Korneli ^[2] ; Fraga, Mariana ^[3] ; Rodrigues, Bruno ^{[1, 4]} ; Pessoa, Rodrigo ^{[1, 4]} ; Camus, Julien ^[5] ; Djouadi, Mohammed ^[5] ; Maciel, Homero ^{[1, 4]}

Affiliation

^[1] Inst Tecnol Aeronaut, Ctr Ciencia & Tecnol Plasmas & Mat PlasMat, BR-12228900 Sao Jose Dos Campos, SP - Brazil

^[2] Space Res & Technol Inst, Acad G Bonchev Str Bl 1, Sofia 1113 - Bulgaria

^[3] Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Inst Ciencia & Tecnol, BR-12231280 Sao Jose Dos Campos, SP - Brazil

^[4] Univ Brasil, Inst Cient & Tecnol, Rua Carolina Fonseca 235, BR-08230030 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[5] Univ Nantes, Inst Mat Jean Rouxel IMN, UMR 6502, 2 Rue Houssiniere, BP 32229, F-44322 Nantes - France

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: MICROMACHINES; v. 10, n. 3 MAR 22 2019.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Many strategies have been developed for the synthesis of silicon carbide (SiC) thin films on silicon (Si) substrates by plasma-based deposition techniques, especially plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) and magnetron sputtering, due to the importance of these materials for microelectronics and related fields. A drawback is the large lattice mismatch between SiC and Si. The insertion of an aluminum nitride (AlN) intermediate layer between them has been shown useful to overcome this problem. Herein, the high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) technique was used to grow SiC thin films on AlN/Si substrates. Furthermore, SiC films were also grown on Si substrates. A comparison of the structural and chemical properties of SiC thin films grown on the two types of substrate allowed us to evaluate the influence of the AlN layer on such properties. The chemical composition and stoichiometry of the samples were investigated by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) and Raman spectroscopy, while the crystallinity was characterized by grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD). Our set of results evidenced the versatility of the HiPIMS technique to produce polycrystalline SiC thin films at near-room temperature by only varying the discharge power. In addition, this study opens up a feasible route for the deposition of crystalline SiC films with good structural quality using an AlN intermediate layer. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 18/01265-1 - Synthesis and microbiological analysis of polymer substrates coated with TiO2 and / or Al2O3 ultra-thin films by atomic layer deposition technology
• Grantee: Rodrigo Savio Pessoa
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 11/50773-0 - Center of excellence in physics and applications of plasmas
• Grantee: Ricardo Magnus Osório Galvão
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 14/18139-8 - Growth and doping studies of mono-crystalline CVD-diamond, dye-colored via discharge of high-power mW 2.45 GHz
• Grantee: Mariana Amorim Fraga
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral