Abstract
Deposition of carbonitride films was realised by Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition (PECVD) method using 13.56 MHz discharge in a CH4-N2- Ar mixture. Principal dissociation and recombination products were analysed by optical emission spectroscopy (OES) and mass spectrometry (MS) for different experimental conditions. Actinometric measurements were used to test the tail of the Electronic Energy Distribution Function (EEDF) and to estimate the main creation and destruction processes of some excited states. Electronic temperature variation was estimated in nitrogen plasmas by emission spectroscopy measurements and chemical titration was used to determinate atomic nitrogen rate in N2 and N2- Ar post-discharge regions. Most part of these diagnostics were associated with infrared spectroscopy (IRS) and chemical composition analysis of the amorphous C-H(N) films deposited on SiO2 or Zr substrates. Emission spectroscopy and mass spectrometry analyses of an oxygen plasma created after deposition processes have permitted to estimate N, C and H evolution relative rates in the film, as a function of experimental parameters. Correlations between the plasma chemistry processes and film properties were used to suggest experimental conditions permitting to create a higher concentration of carbonitride species in the gaseous phase and to increase nitrogen rate in the film.
