Chemical bonding and composition of silicon nitride films prepared by inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition

Thin silicon nitride films were prepared at 350 degrees C by inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition on Si(100) substrates under different NH(3)/SiH(4) or N(2)/SiH(4) gas mixture. The chemical composition and bonding structure of the deposited films were investigated as a function of the process parameters, such as the gas flow ratio NH(3)/SiH(4) or N(2)/SiH(4) and the RF power, using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The gas flow ratio was 1.4, 4.3, 7.2 or 9.5 and the RF power, 50 or 100 W. Decomposition results of Si 2p XPS spectra indicated the presence of bulk Si, under-stoichiometric nitride, stoichiometric nitride Si(3)N(4), oxynitride SiN(x)O(y), and stoichiometric oxide SiO(2), and the amounts of these compounds were strongly influenced by the two process parameters. These results were consistent with those obtained from N 1s XPS spectra. The chemical composition ratio N/Si in the film increased with increasing the gas flow ratio until the gas flow ratio reached 4.3, reflecting the high reactivity of nitrogen, and stayed almost constant for further increase in gas flow ratio, the excess nitrogen being rejected from the growing film. A considerable and unexpected incorporation of contaminant oxygen and carbon into the depositing film was observed and attributed to their high chemical reactivity. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fast separation of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors antidepressants in plasma sample by nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis

A simple, fast, and sensitive liquid-liquid extraction method followed by nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis (LLE/NACE) was developed and validated for Simultaneous determination of four antidepressants (fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram and paroxetine) in human plasma. Several experimental separation conditions using aqueous and nonaqueous media separation were tested by varying the electrolyte pH value (for aqueous medium) and the ionic strength concentration considering the similar mobility of the compounds. High-resolution separation was achieved with a mixture of 1.25 mol L(-1) of phosphoric acid in acetonitrile. The quantification limits of the LLE/CE method varied between 15 and 30 ng mL(-1), with a relative standard deviation (RSD) lower than 10.3%. The method was successfully applied in therapeutic drug monitoring and should be employed in the evaluation of plasma levels in urgent toxicological analysis. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.