Silicon nitride (Si3N4) has been demonstrated to be an effective high temperature anti-oxidant, especially when deposited in its -ciysta1line form. UTRC has developed a pilot scale chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reactor capable of depositing cv-Si3N4 from ammonia (NH3) and silicon tetrafluoride (SiF4) at 1450 C. Coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS) has been applied to this reactor which has been fitted with line-of-sight optical access ports. Temperature and concentration measurements have been performed on gas phase species during the deposition of Si3N4. Based on the CARS detection of H2, the importance of high temperature surface (SiN4) catalyzed decomposition of NH3:

Date Published: 1 July 1991
PDF: 7 pages
Proc. SPIE 1435, Optical Methods for Ultrasensitive Detection and Analysis: Techniques and Applications, (1 July 1991); doi: 10.1117/12.44258

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 1435:
Optical Methods for Ultrasensitive Detection and Analysis: Techniques and Applications
Bryan L. Fearey, Editor(s)