Stability of hydrogenated amorphous carbon thin films for application in electronic devices

Abstract

In this study, hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) films are investigated for electronic applications as an insulating layer. a-C:H films were deposited using Radio Frequency-Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition (RF-PECVD) technique at room temperature. For the first time, the properties of a-C:H films as a function of annealing temperature is investigated, with a focus on their electrical and optical properties. This study shows that a-C:H films are stable up to 450 °C. This investigation will facilitate the use of a-C:H films as an insulating layer where the semiconductor active layers are deposited at higher temperatures (e.g. amorphous silicon deposited around 300 °C for thin film transistor TFTs). In addition to understanding the electrical and optical properties of annealed a-C:H films, we have further explored and studied its suitability in Flash-type memory devices. Various forms of diamond-like carbon are considered to have a high chemical resistance; no extensive data are available in the literature on this subject. The stability of a-C: H thin films with variousreactive chemicals, commonly used in organic/printable electronic devices, is also investigated in this work. The findings may provide opportunities for adoption/integration of a-C:H in hybrid organic-inorganic electronic devices.