Varying stress of SiOC thin films deposited by plasma polymerization.

SiOC thin films were deposited by plasma polymerization. The stress of the deposited SiOC thin films can be modified by adjusting the beam current, the anode voltage, and the flow rate of hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) gas and oxygen. Reducing the beam current or increasing the flow rate of HMDSO gas increased the linear/cage structure ratio and turned the stress of the SiOC thin films from compressive to tensile.