Mechanical Properties of Composite SiNx/DLC Films Prepared by Filtered Cathodic Arc of Graphite Incorporated with RF Sputtering of Silicon Nitride

Composite SiNx/DLC films were deposited on Si substrate by RF magnetron sputtering of silicon nitride (Si3N4) target simultaneously with filtered cathode arc (FCA) of graphite. The RF power was fixed at 100 W whereas the arc currents of FCA were 20, 40, 60 and 80 A. The effects of arc current on the structure, surface roughness, density and mechanical properties of SiNx/DLC films were investigated. The results show that the arc current in the studied range has effect on the structure, surface roughness, density and mechanical properties of composite SiNx/DLC films. The composite SiNx/DLC films show the sp3 content between 53.5% and 66.7%, density between 2.54 and2.98 g/cm3, stress between 1.7 and 2.2 GPa, and hardness between 35 and 51 GPa. Furthermore, it was found that the density, stress and hardness correlate linearly with the sp3 content for composite SiNx/DLC films.

Effect of Hydrogen Dilution on Growth of Silicon Nanocrystals Embedded in Silicon Nitride Thin Film by Plasma-Enhanced CVD

An investigation was conducted into the effect of hydrogen dilution on the microstructure and optical properties of silicon nanograins embedded in silicon nitride （Si/SiNx） thin film deposited by the helicon wave plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition technique. With Ar-diluted SiH4 and N2 as the reactant gas sources in the fabrication of thin film, the film was formed at a high deposition rate. There was a high density of defect at the amorphous silicon （a-Si）/SiNx interface and a relative low optical gap in the film. An addition of hydrogen into the reactant gas reduced the film deposition rate sharply. The silicon nanograins in the SiNx matrix were in a crystalline state, and the density of defects at the silicon nanocrystals （nc-Si）/SiNx interface decreased significantly and the optical gap of the films widened. These results suggested that hydrogen activated by the plasma could not only eliminate in the defects between the interface of silicon nanograins and SiNx matrix, but also helped the nanograins transform from the amorphous into crystalline state. By changing the hydrogen dilution ratio in the reactant gas sources, a tunable band gap from 1.87 eV to 3.32 eV was obtained in the Si/SiNx film.

Effect of hydrogen content on dielectric strength of the silicon nitride film deposited by ICP-CVD

The inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition(ICP-CVD) deposited silicon nitride(SiN_(x)) thin film was evaluated for its application as the electrical insulating film for a capacitor device.In order to achieve highest possible dielectric strength of SiN_(x),the process parameters of ICP-CVD were carefully tuned to control hydrogen in SiN_(x) films by means of tuning N_(2)/SiH_(4) ratio and radio frequency(RF) power.Besides electrical measurements,the hydrogen content in the films was measured by dynamic secondary ion mass spectrometry(D-SIMS).Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR) and micro Raman spectroscopy were used to characterize the SiN_(x) films by measuring Si-H and N-H bonds’ intensities.It was found that the more Si-H bonds lead to the higher dielectric strength.

Cutting performance of multilayer diamond coated silicon nitride inserts in machining aluminum-silicon alloy

Aluminum-silicon （Al-Si） alloy is very difficult to machine and diamond tools are considered by far the best choice for the machining of these materials. Experimental results in the machining of the Al-Si alloy with diamond coated inserts are presented. Considering the fact that high adhesive strength and fine surface morphology play an importance role in the applications of chemical vapor deposition （CVD） diamond films, multilayer technique combining the hot filament CVD （HFCVD） method is proposed, by which multilayer diamond-coating on silicon nitride inserts is obtained, microcrystalline diamond （MCD）/ nanocrystalline diamond （NCD） film. Also, the conventional monolayer NCD and MCD coated inserts are produced for comparison. The as-deposited diamond films are characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy （FE-SEM） and Raman spectrum. All the CVD diamond coated inserts and uncoated insert endure the aluminum-silicon alloy turning to estimate their cutting performances. Among all the tested inserts, the MCD/NCD coated insert exhibits the perfect behavior as tool wear due to its very low flank wear and no diamond peeling.

Thermal conductivity of PECVD silicon-rich silicon nitride films measured with a SiO_2/Si_xN_y bimaterial microbridge test structure

In order to balance the compressive stress of a silicon dioxide film and compose a steady MEMS structure, a silicon-rich silicon nitride film with tensile stress is deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition process. Accurately measuring the thermal conductivity of the film is highly desirable in order to design, simulate and optimize MEMS devices. In this paper, a Si02/SixNy bimaterial microbridge structure is presented to measure the thermal conductivity of the silicon-rich silicon nitride film by single steady-state measurement. The thermal conductivity is extracted as 3.25 W/（m-K）. Low thermal conductivity indicates that the silicon-rich silicon nitride film can still be utilized as thermally insulating material in thermal sensors although its thermal conductivity is slightly larger than the values reported in literature.

Deposition of Silicon Nitride Films by Silane Hydrazine Process

A new catalytic chemical vapor process for depositing silicon nitride films using silane hydrazine gaseous mixture is described. This system can be useful at a temperature of lower than 400 ℃. The catalytic process gives more rapid deposition rate than 10 nm/min. The atomic composition ratio, N/Si, which is evaluated by Rutherfold backscattering method is about 1.4 under a given experimental conditions more than the stoichiometric value of 1.33 in Si 3N 4. The infrared transmission spectra show a large dip at 850 cm -1 due to Si-N bonds and no clear dip due to Si-O bonds. High N-H bond density is the evidence that the deposition mechanism is limited by N-N bond breaking of the hydrazine. The H contents, evaluated from Si-H and N-H bonds in the infrared absorption spectra, and the deposition rate are measured as a function of the substrate temperature. In addition some film properties such as the resistivity and the breakdown electric field are presented.

How to reduce the Al-texture in AlN films during film preparation

The preparation of aluminum nitrogen(AlN) film without Al texture is of great significance for the manufacture of highperformance surface acoustic wave(SAW) device.We research the process factors which bring Al into AlN film due to radio frequency(RF) magnetron sputtering system,and discuss how the process parameters influence the AlN thin film containing Al.In the research,it is found that the high sputtering power,the low deposition pressures and low partial pressure of Ar can lead to growing Al-texture during AlN thin film preparation,and the experiment also shows that filling the chamber with nitrogen gas can recrystallize a small amount of Al composition into AlN film during the annealing process in the high temperature environment.

Promising high-thermal-conductivity substrate material for high-power electronic device:silicon nitride ceramics

High-thermal-conductivity silicon nitride ceramic substrates are indispensable components for nextgeneration high-power electronic devices because of their excellent mechanical properties and high thermal conductivities, which make them suitable for applications in complex and extreme environments. Here, we present an overview of the recent developments in the preparation of high-thermal-conductivity silicon nitride ceramics. First,the factors affecting the thermal conductivity of silicon nitride ceramics are described. These include lattice oxygen and grain boundary phases, as well the oxygen content of the crystal lattice, which is the main influencing factor.Then, the methods to prepare high-thermal-conductivity silicon nitride ceramics are presented. Recent work on the preparation of high-thermal-conductivity silicon nitride is described in detail, including the raw materials used and the forming and sintering processes. Although great progress has been made, the development of a high-quality,low-cost fabrication process remains a challenge. Nevertheless, we believe that high-thermal-conductivity silicon nitride substrates are promising for massive practical applications in the next generation of high-power electronic devices.

Nitridation Kinetics of Silicon Monocrystal and Morphology of Nitride Film

Basing on TGA (thermal gravimetric analysis) of thermal nitridation at l200, l250, l300℃, respectively, analysis of high temperature kinetics for nitridation of silicon monocrystal has been carried out. According to the theory for kinetics of reaction of vapour with solid phase a nitridation kinetic model, from which it can be shown thal the rate of nitridation reaction of silicon crystal should be controlled by three stage limiting factors, was proposed. These limiting factors are chemical reaction, chemical reaction mixed with diffusion and diffu- sion. Using this model to treat our experimental data, satisfactory correlation coefficient and apparent activation energy of nitridation of p-type (lll) silicon crystal have been obtained. The nitride film was identi' fied to be a-Si_3N_4 (Hexagonal, a=0.7758nm,c_o=0.5623nm) by X-ray diffraction analysis. Morphology of the nitride films formed in different nitridation duration was observed in both planar andcross-sectional views by SEM (scanning electron microscope).

Characteristics and Electrical Properties of SiNx:H Films Fabricated by Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition

SiNx：H films with different N/Si ratios are synthesized by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition （PECVD）. Composition and structure characteristics are detected by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy （FTIR） and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）. It indicates that Si-N bonds increase with increased NH3/SiH4 ratio. Electrical property investigations by I-V measurements show that the prepared films offer higher resistivity and less leakage current with increased N/Si ratio and exhibit entirely insulating properties when N/Si ratio reaches 0.9, which is ascribed to increased Si-N bonds achieved.

Mechanical strains in pecvd SiN_x:H films for nanophotonic application

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon nitride films（Si N x：H） are deposited at low temperature by high-frequency plasmaenhanced chemical vapor deposition（HF PECVD）. The main effort is to investigate the roles of plasma frequency and plasma power density in determining the film properties particularly in stress. Information about chemical bonds in the films is obtained by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy（FTIR）. The stresses in the Si N x：H film are determined from substrate curvature measurements. It is shown that plasma frequency plays an important role in controlling the stresses in Si N x：H films. For silicon nitride layers grown at plasma frequency 40.68 MHz initial tensile stresses are observed to be in a range of 400 MPa-700 MPa. Measurements of the intrinsic stresses of silicon nitride films show that the stress quantity is sufficient for film applications in strained silicon photonics.

Physical and Chemical Properties of GdN: A Critical Comparison between Single Crystals and Thin Films, Theory and Experiment

Since about 10 years, there is a controversy about physics and chemistry of GdN between stoichiometric (tested) large single crystals and off-stoichiometric thin films. GdN single crystals are anti-ferromagnetic for applied magnetic fields of only 10 Oe, become ferromagnetic for excess electrons and larger magnetic fields. They are semimetallic. Thin films are ferromagnetic and semiconductors. Over the time, many experiments have been performed on both systems and the physics in each system is consistent. Band structure computations either yield ferromagnetic semimetals or ferromagnetic semiconducting thin films. There seems to be two incompatible worlds, those of single crystals and those of thin films. In the present work, the author compares directly the various measurements and calculations and gives reasons for their different results.

STRUCTURE AND BINDING STATE OF CN_x FILMS SYNTHESIZED BY FACING TARGETS SPUTTERING

CN x films were made by a facing targets sputtering ( FTS) systemon the Si(100) substrate under different N 2 partial pressure. XRD, XPS, FTIR and Raman Spectroscopy( RS) were measured to investigate the structure and the binding state of the film. The films are amorphous and the N/C increases with the N 2 partial pressure increasing and reaches 0 46 when the N 2 pressure is 100%. The N incorporated C forms N sp 2C and N sp 3C mainly and there is a small amount of C≡N.

Si3N4工程陶瓷基底金刚石涂层生长规律及性能

为了避免氮化硅材料因产生裂纹或延伸破裂等造成的失效,利用热丝化学气相沉积法(Hot filament chemical vapor deposition,HFCVD)在氮化硅基底上沉积具有高硬度的金刚石涂层,采用单因素影响试验,分别探究碳源浓度、腔室压力、基底温度对金刚石成膜过程的影响机制,探究微米和纳米金刚石涂层的最优生长工艺参数。利用拉曼光谱仪(Raman)、X射线衍射仪(XRD)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)和原子力显微镜(AFM)对不同参数制备出的金刚石的形核、表面形貌、薄膜质量、表面粗糙度等进行表征,利用洛氏硬度计分析膜基结合力。结果表明,腔室压力越大,活性物质到达基底的动能越小,不利于金刚石的成核和生长。生长速率和表面粗糙度主要受甲烷浓度的影响:甲烷浓度从1%到7%,生长速率从0.84μm/h上升到1.32μm/h;表面粗糙度Ra从53.4 nm降低到23.5 nm;甲烷浓度过高导致涂层脱落严重,膜基结合力变差;晶面形貌和金刚石含量受到基底温度的影响较为明显,随着温度升高,金刚石质量提高。综合基底温度、腔室压力对金刚石涂层的影响,确定最佳生长温度为900℃,气压为1 kPa。调节甲烷浓度1%为微米金刚石;甲烷浓度5%为纳米金刚石。研究方法可以优化在陶瓷基底上制备具有优异性能的金刚石薄膜的制备参数。

低成本高结晶GaN纳米线柔性薄膜制备及其场发射性能

旨在探究非贵金属Cu替代贵金属Au作为催化剂在柔性碳膜上制备高结晶的GaN纳米线的可行性,并研究其场发射特性及机理。采用非贵金属Cu替代贵金属Au作为催化剂,在柔性碳膜上制备了直径为20~100 nm、长度为3~15μm的高结晶的GaN纳米线,并通过工艺参数对其结构与尺寸进行调控,得到GaN纳米线薄膜的催化生长机制。通过对其场发射特性进行研究,发现其场发射性能与其纳米结构紧密相关,催化剂厚度以及薄膜弯曲状态可显著影响其场发射性能。结果表明,采用Cu作为催化剂所制备的GaN纳米线柔性薄膜的场发射电流具有较好的稳定性。该研究为GaN纳米线的低成本制备方法提供了可借鉴思路,同时也为场发射柔性器件的制作提供了可行的技术手段。

Dependence of Optical Absorption in Silicon Nanostructures on Size of Silicon Nanoparticles

The amorphous silicon nanoparticles （Si NPs） embedded in silicon nitride （SiNx） films prepared by helicon wave plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition （HWP-CVD） technique are studied. From Raman scattering investigation, we determine that the deposited film has the structure of silicon nanocrystals embedded in silicon nitride （nc-Si/SiNx） thin film at a certain hydrogen dilution amount. The analysis of optical absorption spectra implies that the Si NPs is affected by quantum size effects and has the nature of an indirect-band-gap semiconductor. Further, considering the effects of the mean Si NP size and their dispersion on oscillator strength, and quantum-confinement, we obtain an analytical expression for the spectral absorbance of ensemble samples. Gaussian as well as lognormal size-distributions of the Si NPs are considered for optical absorption coefficient calculations. The influence of the particle size-distribution on the optical absorption spectra was systematically studied. We present the fitting of the optical absorption experimental data with our model and discuss the results.

基于亚波长光栅辅助定向耦合器的集成铌酸锂偏振分束器

绝缘体上铌酸锂(LNOI)是实现高速光子集成回路(PICs)的理想平台。通过充分利用铌酸锂(LN)的优势,LNOI平台能够实现高速电光和高效非线性光学集成器件。偏振分束器(PBS)作为分离和组合两种正交偏振光模式的关键无源器件之一,在实现片上偏振复用系统并提升光通信系统数据传输容量方面发挥着至关重要的作用。近年来,基于不同结构的PBS已经被成功实现,其中,基于亚波长光栅辅助定向耦合结构的PBS表现出优异的器件性能和紧凑的器件尺寸。本文基于氮化硅-铌酸锂异质集成的间接刻蚀方案,实现了一种亚波长光栅辅助定向耦合结构的高性能PBS。仿真结果表明,当波长在1500~1600 nm时,器件的偏振消光比均大于24.49 dB。实验数据进一步证实,当波长在1500~1580 nm时,器件偏振消光比均大于18.06 dB。

低压化学气相沉积氮化硅薄膜工艺研究

低压化学气相沉积法(Low-Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition,LPCVD)沉积的氮化硅薄膜(LPSi_(3)N_(4))具有质量高、副产物少、厚度均匀性好等特性,常应用于局部氧化的掩蔽膜、电容的介质膜、层间绝缘膜等工艺制程。介绍低压化学气相沉积氮化硅薄膜(LPSi_(3)N_(4))的制备工艺,以及不同工艺参数的调试对氮化硅薄膜均匀性和沉积速率的影响。

Thin Film Encapsulation at Low Temperature Using Combination of Inorganic Dyad Layers and Spray Coated Organic Layer

Organic devices have many advantages such as low material consumption and low energy requirements, but they have serious issues regarding long term stability. Hence we need to develop a barrier film which solves this problem. Initially, the organic devices were fabricated on glass and were encapsulated using glass and epoxy (as sealant). Gradually there was a need to shift on to flexible substrates which required encapsulation to be flexible as well. Therefore, the motivation of the work is to develop thin film encapsulation that can be made flexible. The low temperature PECVD grown films of SiOx and SiNxwere used as the barrier film. Alternate inorganic layers (2-dyads) provided barrier of ~10-2 g/m2 day and increasing the number of dyads to five improved the water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) only by one order of magnitude. However, introducing organic layers in this structure resulted in WVTR value of order 10-5 g/m2 day. The organic layers were deposited by spray technique.

氮化硅陶瓷球制备技术的研究进展

氮化硅(Si_(3)N_(4))陶瓷被称为理想的“轴承材料”,由该材料制备的氮化硅陶瓷轴承球可提高轴承的性能,现已广泛应用于各种高精度高转速机床、地铁、航天发动机和石油化工机械等领域。介绍了氮化硅陶瓷球的发展历程,简述了氮化硅陶瓷球国内外的现状,并从原料、成型、烧结和加工四个方面论述氮化硅陶瓷球的制备技术。