Deposition of Silicon-Carbon Coatings by Electron Beam Evaporation of Silicon Carbide in an Oxygen-Containing Medium

The electrical, mechanical and optical properties of silicon-carbon films obtained by electron beam evaporation of silicon carbide in an argon-oxygen gas mixture in the pressure range 3–5 Pa are presented. The electron beam was generated by a fore-vacuum plasma electron source. It is shown that with an increase in the oxygen content in the gas, the resistivity of the films increases, the hardness decreases and the optical band gap raises. Measurements of the composition and analysis of IR transmission spectra indicate the replacement of silicon-carbon bonds with silicon-oxygen bonds as the gaseous medium is enriched with oxygen.