Composition and Chemical Structure of Nitrided Silica Gel

Abstract

ABSTRACTSol/gel derived silica thin films were thermally treated in NH3 for four hours at temperatures up to 1300C. The films were analyzed by ellipsometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and infrared spectroscopy (IR). Over 30 mol% nitrogen was incorporated in the film treated at 1300C. Using IR and XPS analyses, -NHx groups were found to be present after low temperature treatments, while nitrogen was incorporated in an oxynitride structure after the higher temperature treatments.