Deposition of SiOx thin films by microwave induced plasma CVD at atmospheric pressure

In this paper first results will be presented concerning our investigations on direct and remote plasma polymerization of SiOx films using a microwave induced PACVD process. The plasma source working at a frequency of 2.45 GHz was a slot antenna type CYRANNUS((R))-I source which was able to maintain a homogeneous plasma at atmospheric pressure. The carrier and the monomer gases used for the silica deposition were an argon-oxygen mixture or air and hexamethyldisiloxane, respectively. There will be given a description of the deposition conditions in the remote and the direct mode. Depending on the deposition parameters thin and smooth SiOx films on silicon or stainless steel substrates were prepared. The films were characterized by IR spectroscopy, ellipsometry and various microscopic methods like optical microscopy, SEM and HRTEM. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.