Compositional and Optical Characterization of SiOx, films deposited by ECR-PECVD for Photonics Applications

Thin Thin SiOx films were deposited using ECR-PECVD. The composition and structure of the samples was determined using Rutherford Backscattering and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy while photoluminescence and ellipsometric measurements were used to characterize the samples optically. AFM measurements confirmed the presence of silicon nanocrystals after annealing the samples. These materials have the potential to be used in a variety of applications, including rare-earth doping, as well as their applicability to optical coatings because of the large achievable range of refractive indices.