A Technique for Converting Perhydropolysilazane to SiO[sub x] at Low Temperature

Spin-coated perhydropolysilazane films on Si(100) substrates were prepared by a dibutyl ether solution and converted into using a variety of low temperature curing methods. From the Fourier transform IR spectroscopy and the refractive index (RI) measurements, the successful conversion to a high density silica network was observed from the curing methods by dipping the coatings into either diluted (for ) or deionized water under a 405 nm UV irradiation (for ) at near room temperature. The measured RI values of the cured films were 1.45–1.47, and the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that the O/Si stoichiometries of the cured films were in the range of 1.5–1.7.