Daves, W.W.DavesKrauss, A.A.KraussBehnel, N.N.BehnelHaublein, V.V.HaubleinBauer, A.A.BauerFrey, L.L.Frey2022-03-042022-03-042011https://publica.fraunhofer.de/handle/publica/22554910.1016/j.tsf.2011.02.089We investigated amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC:H) thin films deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) as protective coatings for harsh environment applications. The influence of the deposition parameters on the film properties was studied. Stoichiometric films with a low tensile stress after annealing (< 50 MPa) were obtained with optimized parameters. The stability of a protective coating consisting of a PECVD amorphous silicon oxide layer (a-SiOx) and of an a-SiC:H layer was investigated through various aging experiments including annealing at high temperatures, autoclave testing and temperature cycling in air/water vapor environment. A platinum-based high-temperature metallization scheme deposited on oxidized Si substrates was used as a test vehicle. The a-SiOx/a-SiC:H stack showed the best performance when compared to standard passivation materials as amorphous silicon oxide or silicon nitride coatings.en670541journal article