Characterization of PECVD grown porous SiO2 thin films with potential application in an uncooled infrared detector

Plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) technology was considered as an excellent thin film deposition dry process in semiconductor device fabrication. Porous SiO2 film as a promising thermal insulation layer used in uncooled infrared detectors was grown directly by PECVD technology. The microstructure and elemental composition of the film were characterized by AFM, EDS, SEM and XPS. The porosity of the film was assessed according to the refractive index measured by ellipsometery. A prototype pyroelectric uncooled detector coated with a porous SiO2 film was evaluated.