Chemical composition and properties of films produced from hexamethyldisilazane by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition

Relationships between the chemical composition of the gas phase and the properties of SiC_xN_yH_z films produced from hexamethyldisilazane by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition have been studied. The plasma composition has been examined by optical emission spectroscopy. Thermal analysis of the films with simultaneous mass spectrometric detection of released gases has been performed. On the basis of the results and published data, mechanisms for the formation of films by plasma polymerization have been proposed and the film growth at a low plasma power and high reactor temperatures has been found to follow the heterogeneous mechanism.