Effects of sputtered particle energy on the properties of SiO2 films

Secondary ion-energy distributions (SIEDs) emitted from Si under various conditions of targets (Si, SiO2) and primary ions (Ar+, O+) were measured and thin SiO2 films were deposited by magnetron sputtering techniques under the corresponding conditions to the SIED experiments. The most probable energies of silicon oxygen cluster ions of SimO+n (m, n=1, 2,...) are equal to those of Al+ thermal ions, while those of Si+l (l=1, 2,...) remain unchanged with the introduction of oxygen in chamber during Ar+ ion bombardment. The current-voltage plots of SiO2 films are also measured and found to be influenced by the deposition conditions. It is concluded that the differences in current-voltage characteristics of SiO2 films prepared under various sputtering conditions can be reasonably explained in terms of the changes in the most probable energy of the sputtered particles