Proton magnetic resonance spectra of plasma-deposited inorganic thin films

Abstract

Proton magnetic resonance data are presented for the hydrogen alloys of plasma-deposited amorphous boron, carbon, silicon carbide, and silicon nitride. Linewidth and lineshape analysis leads to the conclusion that hydrogen nuclei are clustered in a-Si/C:H, a-C:H, and a-Si/C:H. Both a-Si/C:H and a-C:H data show that the hydrogen exists in two phases. Modeling of line- widths in a-Si/C:H indicates that the two phases are heavily hydrogenated carbon clusters imbedded in a weakly hydrogenated a-Si lattice. Finally, evidence is presented for the presence of motionally narrowed hydrogen spectra in a-Si/N:H, a-B:H, and a-C:H. It is suggested that the hydrogen nuclei giving rise to these spectra are associated with disorder modes.