Effect of Methane Flow Rate on the Microstructural and Mechanical Properties of Silicon Carbide Thin Films Deposited by Reactive DC Magnetron Sputtering

Abstract

SiC films were deposited by reactive DC magnetron sputtering of high purity (99.999%) Si target. 3 types of substrates, AISI M2 grade high speed steel, glass and Si (100) wafer were used in each deposition. The effect of different CH4 flow rates on the microstructural properties and surface morphologies were characterized by cross-sectional FE-SEM (Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscope) observations. SIMS (Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer) depth profile analysis showed that the elemental film composition was constant over the whole film depth. XRD (X-Ray Diffraction) results indicated that films were amorphous. Nanomechanical properties of SiC films were also investigated.