Materials Chemistry and Physics, Vol.173, 268-284, 2016
Tuning the properties of a complex disordered material: Full factorial investigation of PECVD-grown amorphous hydrogenated boron carbide
A multiresponse 2(5) full factorial experiment is performed to investigate the effects of growth conditions (temperature, power, pressure, total flow rate, partial precursor flow rate) on the chemical, mechanical, dielectric, electronic, and charge transport properties of thin-film amorphous hydrogenated boron carbide (a-BxC:H-y) grown by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) from ortho-carborane. The main and interaction effects are determined and discussed, and the relationships between properties are investigated via correlation analysis. The process condition with the strongest influence on growth rate is pressure, followed by partial precursor flow rate, with low pressure and high partial flow rate conditions yielding the highest growth rates. The atomic concentration of hydrogen (at.% H) and density are controlled primarily by temperature and power, with low temperature and power conditions leading to relatively soft, hydrogen-rich, low-density, porous films, and vice versa. The B/C ratio is controlled by temperature, power, pressure, and the power*pressure interaction, and is uncorrelated to hydrogen