FACTORS AFFECTING THE AMOUNT OF CARBON IN TITANIUM CARBIDE FILMS MADE BY CVD

摘要

Crystalline titanium carbide films have been deposited by CVD from TiCl_4, CH_4, H_2, and Ar. Carbon atomic percent in the films was modeled using a 2~5 factorial design of five processing variables: reaction temperature, C.Ti input ratio, H:Ti input ratio, total reactor pressure, and total mass flow of reactants. All terms found to be significant in affecting the carbon in the film included the variable hydrogen. The 5-way interaction between all variables was also found to be significant. There is a transition region where the addition of hydrogen in the reaction works to reduce the amount of carbon in the film. When all variables are at their high values, increasing the amount of hydrogen decreases the amount of carbon in the film. At all variables at their low value, increasing the amount of hydrogen in the reaction increases the amount of carbon in the film.