Thin Films of Amorphous Germanium‐Nitrogen Alloys Prepared by Radio‐Frequency Reactive Sputtering

Abstract

Thin films of amorphous germanium‐nitrogen alloys were prepared by the reactive sputtering method. The germanium target was sputtered with argon and nitrogen gases in radio‐frequency (rf) magnetron sputtering equipment. Changing the composition of the sputtering gas can adjust the composition, x, of the film in the range from 0 to 1.5 and the corresponding optical energy gap in the range from 0.68 to 2.7 eV. The structures of the film are discussed on the basis of measured X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry. The film prepared at an rf power of 200 W includes more defects and structural disorder compared to film prepared at an rf power of 20 W. © 1999 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.