Effect of annealing on the structure and mechanical properties of plasma-chemical Si-C-N films of hexamethyldisilazane

Abstract

The influence of annealing at temperatures 600, 800 and 1000 °C on the structural and mechanicalal properties of PECVD SiCN films obtained from hexamethyldisilazane is investigated. It was established that the amorphous structure of the films was preserved up to 1000 °C. The investigations of the mechanical properties of the annealed films showed that nanohardness and elastic modulus decreased by 10% and 5%, respectively, with increasing annealing temperature. The studies of the bonding picture by infrared absorption spectroscopy indicate efussion of hydrogen at annealing temperatures higher 600 °C. An increase of annealing temperature up to 1000 °C enhances film oxidation. The tribological investigations based on scratch tests showed that the friction coefficient of the films decreased as annealing temperature was raised.