GROWTH-MODEL OF HYDROGENATED MICROCRYSTALLINE SILICON PREPARED BY RF-SPUTTERING METHOD IN PURE HYDROGEN

Hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon (μc-Si:H) which contains very small silicon microcrystals surrounded by hydrogen atoms can be fabricated by RF sputtering in pure hydrogen onto a low temperature (about 100 K) substrate. Properties of our μc-Si:H are derived from three-dimensional quantum size effects in the alloys, and they are quite different from those of the conventional μc-Si:H. We may interpret a growth mechanism for such an interesting μc-Si:H material, that microcrystals are formed under the hydrogen plasma by the reaction among SiHx (x = 1, 2, 3) species and hydrogen radicals without obtaining thermal energy from the substrate, and then physically deposited on it. The reasons are that our μc-Si:H is fabricated on a low temperature substrate, and that SiH2 configuration exists on the microcrystalline surface from the infrared absorption measurement. This model can well explain our experimental results. © 1990.