Correlation of chemical and electrical properties of plasma-deposited tetramethylsilane films

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Abstract
Thin films of tetramethylsilane (TMS) were formed using rf-glow-discharge polymerization. The films were found to be pinhole free, chemically resistant, and adherent to silicon, aluminum, and glass substrates. Electron microprobe analyses and IR Fourier transform spectroscopy (FTS) demonstrated that small concentrations of oxygen (2–6 at. %) were always incorporated into the polymer structure. Film density, refractive index, and dielectric constant were correlated with the chemical composition of the films. Capacitance-voltage studies of metal-polymer-silicon structures indicated that charge trapping and polarization instabilities existed in the films, and FTS suggests that these charge effects originated at SiO and C = 0 sites. The polymer films were found to be sensitive to moisture and to oxygen. Electron transport was enhanced in films which were exposed to water vapor.