Optical and Structural Characterization of Silicon rich SiNx:H films Effect of Annealing Temperature

Abstract

In this work, the optical and structural properties of SiNx:H films were studied. The silicon- rich SiNx:H films were prepared with LF-PECVD technique using NH3/SiH4 mixture and subsequently annealed within the temperature range of 700-1000 °C in N2ambient. Structural investigations were performed by infrared and Raman spectrometry experiments. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) indicates that annealing the samples results in a decreasing of the N-H and Si-H bonds concentrations. Strong visible PL can be observed in silicon nitride and the evolution of the photoluminescence with annealing temperature is correlated to the evolution of the structure. Two luminescence mechanisms were identified