Deposition of SiO2 films by low-energy ion-beam induced chemical vapor deposition using hexamethyldisiloxane

Room-temperature preparation of silicon dioxide films with smooth surfaces and small carbon was achieved by low-energy ion beam induced chemical vapor deposition (IBICVD) with a bubbling system for hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO). When prepared using bubbled HMDSO and assisted O2 gas under irradiation of 150 eV Ar ions, the film contained carbon of 0.2% and the root mean square of the surface roughness of the film was 2.0 nm. However, when prepared using the bubbled HMDSO under irradiation of 150 eV oxygen ions, the film contained carbon less than 0.1%, and the surface roughness was 0.25 nm. It is considered that low-energy oxygen ion bombardment promotes not only chemical reaction and dissociation of HMDSO but also reactive ion beam etching on the film surface.