Effect of air post contamination on mechanical properties of amorphous carbon nitride thin films

We report in this study the mechanical, structural and compositional characteristics of amorphous carbon nitride films (a-CNx) deposited on Si(100) using RF magnetron sputtering of graphite targets in pure nitrogen and under different RF powers. The properties of the films were determined in their as deposited state using nuclear reaction analysis (NRA), elastic recoil detection (ERDA), infrared (IR) absorption and Raman spectroscopy. The mechanical properties were obtained combining nanoindentation and residual stress measurements. The presence of various types of C–N bonds, as well as the post-deposition contamination of the deposited films by oxygen and water (voids) is revealed. The measured hardness and Young modulus were 0.9–2.03 and 23–27 GPa, respectively. These results have been analysed in term of the matrix flexibility which results from the nitrogen content and the porous character of the films, which can affect deeply the estimation of the physical–mechanical properties of the films.