Study in the oxygen contamination on the surface of C-SiC films

Abstract

C-SiC filmswere preparedwith an ion-mixing technology and then introducedwith hydrogen by using hydrogen ion irradiation or high-pressure permeation. It is found that the surfaces of the C-SiC films are always covered by contamination oxygen. XPS was used to analyze the behavior of the contamination oxygen on the surfaces of the C-SiC films before and after hydrogen introduction. The results show that apart from the adsorbed top layer-containing contaminations like oxygen, carbon, and oxyhydrogen species, the oxygen can react with elements of films and hydrogen. Different carbon-oxygen-hydrogen configurations and C-Si-O or C-Si-OH on the subsurfaces can be formed with different hydrogen introductionmethods. Also, the thicknesses of these species-related oxygen on the subsurface of C-SiC films are estimated in this article. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.