Room-Temperature Growth of SiC Thin Films by Dual-Ion-Beam Sputtering Deposition

Silicon carbide (SiC) films were prepared by single and dual-ion-beamsputtering deposition at room temperature. An assisted Ar+ ion beam (ion energy Ei = 150 eV) was directed to bombard the substrate surface to be helpful for forming SiC films. The microstructure and optical properties of nonirradicated and assisted ion-beam irradicated films have been characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Raman spectra. TEM result shows that the films are amorphous. The films exposed to a low-energy assisted ion-beam irradicated during sputtering from a-SiC target have exhibited smoother and compacter surface topography than which deposited with nonirradicated. The ion-beam irradicated improves the adhesion between film and substrate and releases the stress between film and substrate. With assisted ion-beam irradicated, the density of the Si–C bond in the film has increased. At the same time, the excess C atoms or the size of the sp2 bonded clusters reduces, and the a-Si phase decreases. These results indicate that the composition of the film is mainly Si–C bond.