Preparation and Properties of Reactively Sputtered Silicon Nitride

Abstract

Transparent, adherent, amorphous silicon nitride films in the thickness range of 300 to 15000 Å were deposited on a variety of substrate materials by the reactive sputtering technique. The supported glow-discharge approach was found to be superior to glow-discharge sputtering for the preparation of a uniform, stoichiometric film. Electrical, optical, and chemical properties of the film reflect a density that is less than that reported for the bulk nitride.