For high temperatures, corrosive and harsh environmental applications in the agricultural and food industry, SiCN based sensors are preferred. Experimental methods for making thin films of SiCN to facilitate sensor fabrication is explored in this study. Silicon carbonitride films were grown on silicon substrate using ammonia and hexamethyldisilazane gas sources using catalytic chemical vapour deposition process. Parameter regimes such as influence of flow rates of target gas and variation in substrate temperature are identified for effective deposition of SiCN thin films. Compositions of silicon, carbon and nitrogen in the SiCN films were varied by changing the flow rate of ammonia gas. The effect of deposition conditions on the structural, optical and mechanical properties of SiCN thin films was examined. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis indicated that the higher flow rate of ammonia gas results in higher nitrogen and lower carbon content in the deposited thin films. The measurement of stress as a function of substrate temperature in the SiCN film showed that the stress changes from compressive to tensile in the range of 275°C to 325°C.
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Bionanotechnology Laboratory
Suresh Neethirajan
School of Engineering
University of Guelph
Guelph, Ontario
Canada N1G 2W1
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Lab: THRN 2133 BioNano Lab
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