Ion beam analysis of SiCx thin films using a deuterium beam

SiCx thin films have been prepared using RF reactive magnetron sputtering. The deposition parameters were varied over a wide range to optimise the quality of the films. The film atomic density per unit area (atoms/cm2) and composition were obtained by NRA and RBS techniques by bombarding the samples with a low energy deuterium beam. The films were also characterised by X-ray diffraction, FTIR spectroscopy, profilometry and ellipsometry to supplement the RBS and NRA results.