Dear All,
I sputter SiC target and in the resultant thin films, I see grains of diameter of around 300 nm. Is it possible to reduce to reduce the size of grains by modifying the recipe of deposition? I look forward to your kind response as soon as possible.
I will appreciate any experiences,
Faisal
May be you are making Crystalline films. You have to change the power density (applied power to the target) with a little addition of H2 gas to the Ar. Simultaneously use the substrate bias (-ve) if possible.
Hopefully it will work.
Just to add some comment on Mr. Sahu's response, make sure the temperature of your sample is not going high during sputtering.
Dear Bibhuti B Sahu and M. Behzadirad,
Many thanks for the kind input.
I cannot add H2 gas and substrate bias b/c it is not possible with the setup.
I sputter the material at room temperature.
Is there any possibility to reduce the grains size?
does lowering pressure during deposition help (I mean reducing Ar flux)?
Looking forward to your kind comments soon........
Faisal
Hi Faisal,
what are the parameters you are using (gas pressure, power, voltage, distance between substrate and target, etc.)? Normally, it should be very easy to decrease the grain size, either by increasing the target-substrate distance or by increasing the Ar pressure.
Dear Mihai Gabureac,
At present I see the particles of size of around 200 nm.
Do you think it is possible to reduce them down to 10 nm by sputtering?
Looking forward to your kind response soon.
Faisal
Yes, It can be done in a controlled atmosphere and process conditions which favours the sputter target !
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