A Technique for Converting Perhydropolysilazane to SiOx at Low Temperature

Spin-coated perhydropolysilazane films on Si (100) substrates were prepared by a dibutyl ether solution and converted into SiOx using a variety of low temperature curing methods. From the Fourier transform IR spectroscopy and the refractive index (RI) measurements, the successful conversion to a high density silica network was observed from the curing methods by dipping the coatings into either diluted H2O2 (for >10 min) or deionized water under a 405 nm UV irradiation (for >60 min) at near room temperature. The measured RI values of the cured SiOx films were 1.45-1.47, and the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that the O/Si stoichiometries of the cured SiOx films were in the range of 1.5-1.7. (C) 2009 The Electrochemical Society. [DOI: 10.1149/1.3264092] All rights reserved.