Characterisation of micropores in plasma deposited SiOx films by means of positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy


Characterisation of micropores in plasma deposited SiOx films by means of positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy

Hoppe, C.; Mitschker, F.; Butterling, M.; Liedke, M. O.; de Los Arcos, T.; Awakowicz, P.; Wagner, A.; Grundmeier, G.

The effect of average incorporated ion energy and impinging atomic oxygen flux on the structure and permeability of SiOx thin films by a microwave driven low-pressure discharge with additional RF bias is studied by means of positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) and complementary analytical approaches. The film growth and structure were controlled by the particle fluxes. Acorrelation between the pore sizes and pore size distribution as measured by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) and the adjusted plasma parameters was established. The corresponding barrier performance was measured by oxygen transmission rate (OTR) and could be explained by the pore size distribution. The dominant pore size characteristic for dangling bonds within the SiOx-network was found to be in the range of 0.8 nm. The chemical composition and morphology were analysed by means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), FTIR diffuse reflectance measurements (DRIFT) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). It was observed that a combination of both an increase in incorporated energy per deposited Si atom and low oxygen to silicon ratio resulted in an enhanced cross-linking of the SiOx network and thereby lead to a decrease in micropore density and to a shift of the pore size distribution function to lower values.

Keywords: positron annihilation spectroscopy; positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy; positron; SiOx; Doppler broadening; PALS; FTIR

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Publ.-Id: 31253