Characterization of amorphous carbon rich Si C thin films 1yx x obtained using high energy hydrocarbon ion beams on Si

Amorphous Si1yxCx films, with x ranging from 0.54 to 0.71 and low hydrogen content less than 5%.were grown by high-energy hydrocarbon ion beam deposition on silicon wafers. The resulting films were studied using XPS, AES, EELS and Raman spectroscopies. As x increases there is a higher number of C atoms in sp2 sites, showing that for high carbon concentrations the bonding character of the C atoms is a function of the SirC relative content in the films. Films annealed at different temperatures were studied by Raman and XPS spectroscopies; there is no evidence of a complete graphitization up to 9008C. It is concluded that the presence of Si in the films increases their thermal stability. q1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.