Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 February 2011
We have produced a-Si,N:H alloy films using remote PECVD at a substrate temperature of 200°C with Si/N ratios between 0 (a-Si:H) and 3/4 (Si3N4). Films were prepared using nitrogen or ammonia source-gases, introduced downstream from a helium rf plasma. Nitrogen and hydrogen bonding environments were investigated using infrared absorbance. For films produced from N2, [N] and [H] concentrations were determined by SIMS. A random bonding model is used for a quantitative analysis of Si-H and Si-N bonding distributions, and to estimate the N/Si ratio in films produced from NH3. A comparison of N2 and NH3 source gases for nitrogen incorporation is also presented.