SiCl3CCl3 as a novel precursor for chemical vapor deposition of amorphous carbon films Original Research Article

Amorphous carbon films, characterized by XRD, AFM, SEM and Raman, were deposited from SiCl3CCl3 on quartz substrates at 773–1273 K by low pressure chemical vapor deposition using a hot-wall reactor. XPS studies showed that the films grown at 773 K contained 90% C and 10% Cl, while the films grown at 1273 K contained 100% C. SiCl4, CCl4 and Cl2CCCl2 were detected by on-line FT-IR studies. The extrusion of dichlorocarbene, :CCl2, from SiCl3CCl3 should provide the source of carbon in the reaction. On Si substrates, an etching process at the film-substrate interface assisted the lift-off of the films from the substrates. The C films curled and formed rolls.