PECVD SiC:H (SiCN:H) films were produced using tetramethylsilane (TMS) as a precursor in a mixture with inert helium or ammonia as a source of nitrogen. Mild plasma conditions were chosen in order to prevent the complete decomposition of the precursor molecules and promote the incorporation of the fragments of precursor into the film structure. The effect of deposition temperature and composition of gas mixture on the chemical bonding structure, elemental composition, deposition rate, and optical properties (transmittance, optical bandgap, and refractive index) of films have been examined. Use of the chosen deposition conditions allowed them to reach a relatively high deposition rate (up to 33 nm/min), compared with films produced in high plasma power conditions. Use of ammonia as an additional gas led to effective incorporation of N atoms in the films. The composition of the films moved from SiC:H to SiN:H with increasing of ammonia content to P(NH₃)/P(TMS) = 1. The refractive index and optical bandgap of the films varied in the range of 1.55–2.08 and 3.0–5.2 eV, correspondingly, depending on the film composition and chemical bonding structure. The effect of treatment of SiCN films deposited at 400 °C by plasma of He, O₂ or NH₃ were studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and contact angle measurements. It was shown that plasma treatment significantly changes the surface characteristics. The water contact angle of the film was changed from 71 to 37° after exposure in the plasma conditions.

Amorphous hydrogenated silicon carbonitride films were synthesized on Si(100), Ge(111), and fused silica substrates using the inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition technique. 1,1,3,3-tetramethyldisilazane (TMDSN) was used as a single-source precursor. The effect of the precursor’s pressure in the initial gas mixture, the substrate temperature, the plasma power, and the flow rate of nitrogen gas as an additional reagent on the film growth rate, element composition, chemical bonding, wettability of film surface, and the optical and mechanical properties of a-SiC_xN_y:H films was investigated. In situ diagnostic studies of the gas phase have been performed by optical emission spectroscopy during the film deposition process. The long-term stability of films was studied over a period of 375 days. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) and X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDX), and wettability measurements elucidated the oxidation of the SiC_xN_y:H films deposited using TMDSN + N₂ mixture. Films obtained from a mixture with argon had high stability and maintained the stability of element composition after long-term storage in ambient air.

Boron carbonitride (BC _x N _y ) films of different compositions have been grown by low-pressure chemical vapor deposition using triethylamine borane as a single-source precursor and ammonia as an additional nitrogen source. Experiments were performed at various initial vapor compositions. The resultant films have been characterized by ellipsometry, IR spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, nanoindentation, and surface acoustic wave spectroscopy. The mechanical properties of the films are shown to correlate with their density and chemical composition. With increasing initial ammonia partial pressure in the vapor phase, the elemental composition of the films moves away from boron carbide, approaching boron nitride, which is accompanied by a reduction in the Young’s modulus, hardness, and density of the films.

The chemical composition, structure, and physical properties of aluminum nitride (AlN) films obtained using pulsed DC reactive magnetron sputtering in asymmetric bipolar mode have been studied. X-ray diffraction and electron diffraction confirmed the composition of c–axis textured hexagonal AlN films required for piezoelectric applications. The surface of the films obtained is quite smooth; the arithmetic average roughness does not exceed 2 nm. Transmission electron microscopy has shown the presence of a transition layer at the film–substrate interface. Transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy depth profile analysis have shown that the films have an oxidized surface layer which has an influence on the optical model of the films derived from ellipsometric data. However, it does not significantly influence the films’ piezoresponse. Piezoelectric force microscopy indicated a piezoelectric effect in the films that is uniform over their surface.

Nine heterometallic iodobismuthates with the general formula Cat₂{[Bi₂M₂I₁₀}] (M = Cu(I), Ag(I), Cat = organic cation) were synthesized. According to X-ray diffraction data, their crystal structures consisted of {Bi₂I₁₀} units interconnected with Cu(I) or Ag(I) atoms through I-bridging ligands, forming one-dimensional polymers. The compounds are thermally stable up to 200 °C. Optical band gaps (E_g), estimated at room temperature via diffuse reflectance measurements, range from 1.81 to 2.03 eV. Thermally induced changes in optical behavior (thermochromism) for compounds 1–9 were recorded, and general correlations were established. The thermal dependence of E_g appears to be close to linear for all studied compounds.