Powder formation in SiH{sub 4}-H{sub 2} discharge in large area capacitively coupled reactors: A study of the combined effect of interelectrode distance and pressure

Journal Article · Fri Jan 15 00:00:00 EST 2010 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3282802· OSTI ID:21476096

Strahm, B; Hollenstein, Ch ^[1]

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1. Centre de Recherches en Physique des Plasmas, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne (Switzerland)

One of the main challenges for silicon thin film deposition for solar cell applications is to achieve high rate deposition in order to reduce the manufacturing costs. However, when silane and hydrogen are used as precursor gas in parallel plate plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition, high rate deposition is generally synonymous of powdery discharge. In this work, time- and space-resolved light scattering experiments are presented. These were performed in an industrial-type large area reactor with a variable interelectrode distance. Results show that with a standard 25 mm interelectrode distance, the fraction of silane transformed into powder can be as high as 50% and that reducing the interelectrode distance shifts to higher pressure the appearance of powder in the discharge. From a standard 25 mm interelectrode distance to a 10 mm narrow gap reactor, the threshold pressure was increased from 2 to 7 mbars. More generally, it is proposed that the onset of powder formation depends mainly on the product of the interelectrode distance and the gas residence time in the discharge.

• OSTI ID: 21476096
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 107, Issue 2; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3282802; (c) 2010 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION
DISTANCE
ELECTRIC DISCHARGES
ELECTRODES
HYDROGEN
LIGHT SCATTERING
PLASMA
PLATES
POWDERS
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS
SILANES
SILICON
SILICON SOLAR CELLS
THIN FILMS
CHEMICAL COATING
DEPOSITION
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
ELEMENTS
EQUIPMENT
FILMS
HYDRIDES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
MATERIALS
NONMETALS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC SILICON COMPOUNDS
PHOTOELECTRIC CELLS
PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS
SCATTERING
SEMIMETALS
SILICON COMPOUNDS
SOLAR CELLS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
SURFACE COATING