Preparation of SiC thin films by DC magnetron sputtering and their application in microsensors

SiC thin films were deposited on Si and SOI substrates by reactive DC magnetron sputtering. Composition of the deposited films was studied by AES and N-RBS, which showed that stoichiometric SiC thin films could be obtained. Both AES depth profile and RBS indicated the existence of a transition layer. XRD analysis revealed the formation of polycrystalline SiC films at a substrate temperature as low as 1123K, and the absence of other peaks in XRD patterns except the SiC [111] peak implied that the films were [111] oriented. It was found that the silicon carbide patterns formed by pure argon ion beam etching showed better surface qualities than those with oxygen ions in the etching beam. Furthermore, the SiC thermistor bridge structures were formed with the SiCOI structures successfully.