An AFM study of the effect of growth method and conditions on the microstructure of a-Si:H
The authors utilized atomic force microscopy (AFM) to investigate the microstructure at the surface of thick (>4,000 {angstrom}) hydrogenated amorphous silicon films. The films were prepared by standard glow discharge (GD) as well as hot wire chemical vapor deposition (HWCVD) techniques. They studied a series of films with substrate temperatures ranging between 200 C and 400 C. They also studied the effects of various gas mixtures at fixed growth temperature on the observed microstructure. They found that the average feature grain size in the microstructure varied between 40 nm and 90 nm as the substrate temperature was changed and also as the different gas mixtures were employed during growth. The grain size decreased with increasing substrate temperatures for the films grown from 100% silane independent of whether the growth method were GD or HWCVD. Gas dilution with argon or hydrogen also resulted in a size reduction, as did PH{sub 3} doping at dilute levels. These results rule out the possibilities that the observed features arise from particle production in the reactor chamber itself. The relation of the observed microstructure to the electronic properties of a-Si:H is discussed.
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of Oregon, Eugene, OR (US)
- OSTI ID:
- 20085532
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Amorphous and Microcrystalline Silicon Technology - 1997, San Francisco, CA (US), 03/31/1997--04/04/1997; Other Information: PBD: 1997; Related Information: In: Amorphous and microcrystalline silicon technology--1997. Materials Research Society symposium proceedings, Volume 467, by Wagner, S.; Hack, M.; Schiff, E.A.; Schropp, R.; Shimizu, I. [eds.], 999 pages.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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