奈米複合薄膜具有獨特的特性，因此廣泛應用在機械、微電子、光電、能源、生醫等產業上。因此控制奈米複合薄膜的微結構與成份以達到所需的性質是相當重要的，所以了解奈米複合薄膜的製程、結構與性質之間的關係是值得深入研究。因此本研究主要利用濺鍍法製備不同堆疊結構的鉭矽氮奈米複合薄膜，並檢測其微結構、成份與特性。最後利用不同的材料分析儀器檢測奈米複合薄膜的微結構、相、成份、表面型貌、機械、電與光電性質。深入探討製程參數與熱退火溫度對奈米複合薄膜的之機械性質、熱穩定性、電與光電性質之間的關係，進一步開發奈米複合薄膜在產業上實際的應用。
本論文第一部份為鉭矽氮奈米複合薄膜的微結構、機械性質與熱穩定性之研究。有關機械性質的研究，將改變氮氣流量比與控制遮罩來製備不同結構的鉭矽氮奈米複合薄膜，探討奈米結構化對機械性質的影響。當矽/鉭功率比為2/3與氮氣流量比低於10%，以及利用遮罩控制且氮氣流量比20 %時，皆可由XRD及TEM驗證其微結構為似非晶結構，也就是奈米晶粒鑲嵌在非晶的基底的奈米複合結構。並由實驗證明似非晶的奈米複合結構具有較平整的表面型貌，以及可有效抵抗塑性變形，增加薄膜的機械性質，因此可應用在硬質披覆層上。而在熱穩定性與抗氧化能力之探討中，在矽/鉭功率比為2/1時，因矽成份的增加造成更多的離子與共價鍵結，使奈米複合薄膜具有較佳的熱穩定性、抗氧化能力及適合的機械性質以應用在銅製程中的擴散阻障層與抗氧化層上。本論文第二部份討論鉭矽氮奈米複合薄膜的電與光電性質，在矽/鉭功率比為3/2時，電阻率與電阻溫度係數將隨著增加氮氣流量比而增加，而且透過晶界散射模型的計算，在低氮氣流量比時，因為有較高的電子穿遂機率，使鉭矽氮薄膜具有較低的電阻率。因此在低氮氣流量比時，薄膜具有低電阻率與負電阻溫度係數，適合用在擴散阻層與薄膜電阻，而在高氮氣流量比時，則具有高的電阻溫度係數，適合用在感測器上。而在光電性質中，本論文提出創新可導電且發光的奈米複合薄膜概念及其發光機制的探討。單層低電阻率之鉭矽氮奈米複合薄膜，在3%氮氣流量比具有可見光範圍的光激發螢光現象，這是因為奈米晶粒鑲嵌在非晶基底的複合結構，所引起的量子侷限與發光中心效應。而低電阻率之多層矽/氮化矽/氮化鉭複合結構的薄膜，因為奈米晶粒以及界面的缺陷能態與基底中氮化矽的發光能態，使具有可見光範圍的光激發螢光現象，而且其發光強度隨著退火溫度提高而增加。因此創新的導電發光奈米複合薄膜有機會應用在光電元件上。

The nanocomposite thin films have been applied in the mechanical, microelectronic, optoelectronic, energy and biomaterial industry due to its unusual and excellent properties. Therefore, it is important to understand the relationship between processes, microstructures and properties of nanocomposite films. In this dissertation, the various Ta-Si-N nanocomposite thin films were deposited at different parameter by using reactive sputtering and the microstructure, crystalline phase, composition, surface morphology, mechanical, electrical, and optoelectronic properties of nanocomposite films were measured by various instruments. Effect of processing parameter and annealing temperature on the characteristics of nanocomposite thin films were investigated and to develop its new application.
In the first part, the mechanical property and thermal stability of co-sputtered Ta-Si-N nanocomposite films as function of nitrogen flow ratios and alternating shuttering were discussed. The quasi-amorphous microstructure with nanocrystalline grains embedded in an amorphous matrix which was observed below 10 FN2% and over 20 FN2% with alternating shutter at Si/Ta power ratio of 2/3. Moreover, the quasi-amorphous Ta-Si-N nanocomposite film with high hardness and smooth morphology can be achieved at low FN2% and Si/Ta power ratio of 2/3 for mechanical application. In terms of thermal stability of quasi-amorphous Ta-Si-N nanocomposite films at low FN2% were also discussed. The Ta-Si-N nanocomposite film at the Si/Ta power ratio of 2/1 could be good candidates for diffusion barrier in Cu interconnect and oxide barrier application with good thermal stability, oxidation resistance and proper mechanical property. In the second part, the electrical and optoelectronic characteristics of Ta-Si-N nanocomposite films were discussed. The resistivity and TCR of films were increased with increasing FN2% at Si/Ta power ratio of 3/2. The Ta-Si-N thin film at low FN2% according the grain boundary scattering model exhibits high electron transmission probability. Therefore, the films with lower FN2% have both low resistivity and degree of negative TCR which is favored for diffusion barrier and thin films resistor, while the film with higher FN2% shows a higher degree of negative TCR, which is potentially favored for thermal resistive sensors. In terms of optoelectronic properties, the novel conducting PL and mechanism of nanocomposite films were proposed and verified. For the effect of FN2% on the microstructure and PL behavior of single layer Ta-Si-N nanocomposite film, the most pronounced PL peak was observed at 3 FN2% due to the quantum confinement and luminescence center (QC/LC) effect of the nc-grains less than 6 nm dispersed in an amorphous matrix and related to the grain size, imperfections at boundary (/interface) and surrounding composition. For the effect of annealing temperature on the evolution of microstructure and PL behavior in the multilayer Si/Si-N/Ta-N film nanocomposite, due to the nc-Si, defect states in imperfections of interface between the Si:O and Si-N:O and the located state related to the mixed Si-O or Si-N bonds in Si-N:O layer to produce the visible PL and increasing temperature enhances the formation of more radiative recombination in the localized states of Si-O and Si-N bonds and nc-Si for the improved PL intensity. Therefore, the nanocomposite films with novel conducting PL should apply to the optoelectronic devices.

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