Silicon oxide films from the Plasmodul®

Gas mixtures of hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) and oxygen (O(2)) are used for plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition of silicon oxide films. These films were deposited in a newly developed plasma reactor, called Plasmodul(R) The plasma is excited by 2.45 GHz microwaves in the pressure range of 0.05-200 mbar. The Plasmodul is a modular device consisting of a plasma source, a gas inlet system, a reaction and substrate chamber and a diagnostic port. It is a flexible equipment, comfortable in handling and simple in construction. The special arrangement allows a film deposition remote from the plasma source. The chemical composition of the films was investigated in dependence on the HMDSO:O(2) monomer mixture ratio by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.