Microstructured SiOx thin films deposited from hexamethyldisilazane and hexamethyldisiloxane using atmospheric pressure thermal microplasma jet

Mictrostructured silicon oxide (SiOx) thin films were deposited on glass and metal substrates from 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexamethyldisilazane (HMDSN) and hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) by using atmospheric-pressure thermal microplasma jet. Two kinds of string-like products, randomly bent string-like products and linear string-like products, were deposited and they formed microstructured films. The bent string-like products formed labyrinth-like structures and the linear string-like products lay in parallel to form a large aligned structure. The width of both the bent and linear string-like products was from 1 to 3 mu m, regardless of the kind of the precursor but depending on the plasma irradiation conditions. The influence of various surface microstructure of substrates on the formation of the SiOx microstructure was investigated to make clear the mechanism for the formation of the microstructures.