Plasma-enhanced reactively evaporated deposition of SiO2 films

Silicon dioxide thin films have been prepared from a SiO molecule flow in oxygen at (1.2–5) × 10−3 Torr using a high-frequency glow discharge with a power density of 0.1 W cm−2. The films were analyzed in common with SiOx films deposited from SiO and O2 at 10−4–10−2 Torr. The SiO molecule flow was created by reacting oxygen and silicon at 1200°C. It was demonstrated by ellipsometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and infrared spectroscopy that using the high-frequency glow discharge gave films at Tr that did not contain impurity OH groups and which has characterizing properties near thermal SiO2. Comparison with other low-temperature dielectric films containing impurity OH groups showed that they did not constitute the basic principle underlying the enhanced electroconductivity of such films, while the cooling length of hot electrons was defined by the form of hydrogen in the films.