EVALUATION OF WATER REPELLENCY FOR SILICON OXIDE FILMS PREPARED BY RF PLASMA-ENTRANCED CVD

Silicom oxide films with good water repellency were prepared by rf plasma-enhanced CVD (rf-PECVD) using four kinds of organosilicon compound, which had different number of methyl ($CH_3$) groups, and oxygen as gas sources. The differences in the deposition rates, film composition and film properties were studied in detail. Water repellency depended on the number of $CH_3$ groups in the organosilicon compounds and the partial pressure of oxygen in the plasma. The highest contact angle for water drops, about 95 degrees, was obtained when trimethy lmethoxy silane (TMMOS) was used. The contact angle decreased with the amount of oxygen gas introduced into the plasma. The dissociation of $CH_3$ groups by adding oxygen was comfirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The optical properties were estimated by double-beam spectroscopy and ellipsometry. The transmittance of the glass plate coated by the film prepared with tetramethoxy silane (TMOS) was about 90% and the refractive index of film was 1.44. This value was smaller than the refractive index of a glass plate(soda lime glass, refractive index is 1.515) and this film played a role of anti-refractive coating.