Influence of annealing temperature on the structure and photoluminescence properties of SiC films

SiC films were prepared by the magnetron sputtering technique on p-Si substrates with the target of single crystalline SiC. The as-deposited films were annealed at 400°C~1000°C under nitrogen ambient. The effect of the annealing temperature on the structure and photoluminescence properties of SiC films are studied. The SiC films are improved with the increase of the annealing temperature and the SiC crystal is formed when annealed at 800°C. The Si-C peak shifts to higher wave numbers, and it is attributed to the change of stoichiometry of Si_1-xC_x in SiC films. The PL at 322 nm is due to the neutral oxygen vacancy. The origin of PL centered at 370 nm is related to the SiC particles. The PL at 412 nm is ascribed to the C clusters.