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Stoichiometric Control of SiO x Thin Films Grown by Reactive Magnetron Sputtering at Oblique Angles
Author(s) -
GarciaValenzuela Aurelio,
Alvarez Rafael,
LopezSantos Carmen,
Ferrer Francisco J.,
Rico Victor,
Guillen Elena,
AlconCamas Mercedes,
EscobarGalindo Ramon,
GonzalezElipe Agustin R.,
Palmero Alberto
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
plasma processes and polymers
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.644
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1612-8869
pISSN - 1612-8850
DOI - 10.1002/ppap.201600077
Subject(s) - stoichiometry , materials science , deposition (geology) , sputter deposition , thin film , sputtering , substrate (aquarium) , silicon , cavity magnetron , tilt (camera) , oblique case , analytical chemistry (journal) , optics , mineralogy , geometry , chemistry , optoelectronics , nanotechnology , paleontology , oceanography , mathematics , linguistics , philosophy , chromatography , physics , sediment , geology , biology
The deposition of SiO x ( x ≤ 2 ) compound thin films by the reactive magnetron sputtering technique at oblique angles is studied from both theoretical and experimental points of view. A simple mathematical formula that links the film stoichiometry and the deposition conditions is deduced. Numerous experiments have been carried out to test this formula at different deposition pressures and oblique angle geometries obtaining a fairly good agreement in all studied conditions. It is found that, at low deposition pressures, the proportion of oxygen with respect to silicon in the film increases a factor of ∼5 when solely tilting the film substrate with respect to the target, whereas at high pressures the film stoichiometry depends very weakly on the tilt angle. This behavior is explained by considering the fundamental processes mediating the growth of the film by this technique.