Effects of Target Materials on the Structural Properties of Sputtered SiC Films

SiC films were prepared either by direct sputtering of a SiC target in Ar or by reactive sputtering of a Si target in a mixture of Ar and hydrocarbon. Their chemical composition and structural properties were examined by Auger electron spectroscopy, infrared transmission, and reflection electron diffrac-tion. It is seen that the chemical composition of the films sputtered from the Si target is strongly dependent on the deposition rate and the partial pressure of hydrocarbon. The sputtered films from the SiC target crystallize at lower deposition temperature than those from the Si target. Silicon carbide, SiC, films have very promising elec-trical and chemical properties in high ambient tem-perature. For example, SiC thin films are found to be useful for making high temperature sensors (1). Reactive deposition of Si in hydrocarbon or direct sputtering of SiC is widely used for preparing Si