Thin Films Deposition from Hexamethyldisiloxane and Hexamethyldisilazane under Dielectric-Barrier Discharge (DBD) Conditions

Hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) and hexamethyldisilazane (HMDSN) were used as organosilicon reagents for PE-CVD of thin films under filamentary barrier-discharge conditions at atmospheric pressure. Efficient discharges were obtained in the region of moderate frequencies (5 kHz). The following mixtures of organosilicon reagents with carrier gas and oxidants or ammonia were investigated: HMDSO+Ar, HMDSO+N₂, HMDSO+O₂+Ar, HMDSO+N₂O+Ar, and HMDSN+NH₃+N₂. Under such conditions HMDSO was converted to produce thin films (10–1000 nm) of silicon oxide, generally containing admixtures of residual organic content (Si—CH_n and Si—H groups). The films deposited from HMDSN+NH₃+N₂ contained silicon, nitrogen and oxygen.