Effect of substrate temperature on the properties of plasma deposited silicon oxide thin films

Silicon oxide (SiOx) films were obtained from SiH4/NO2/Ar by plasma-enhanced chemical vapors deposition (PECVD) technique. Effect of substrate temperature on the properties of the deposited films have been presented. The substrate temperature of the deposition process varied from 150 to 450°C at fixed working pressure of 1000 mTorr and RF power of 10 W. The films were investigated by atomic force and scanning electron microscopies as well as laser ellipsometry. The grain size, root-mean-square roughness and refractive index of the films were in the range of 20-250 nm, 0.2-2.4 nm and 1.5-2.0, respectively. The refractive indices and stoichiometry of SiOx films are discussed using the Lorentz-Lorenz formula.