GAS-PHASE KINETICS IN THE ATMOSPHERIC-PRESSURE CHEMICAL VAPOR-DEPOSITION OF SILICON FROM SILANE AND DISILANE

A gas-phase reaction mechanism is proposed for the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of amorphous silicon from silane or disilane at atmospheric pressure. The gas stream in the CVD reactor is populated by silanes, silylenes, and disilenes in a variety of sizes. Silylenes form by the decomposition of silanes, and they rapidly insert into other silanes to form larger silanes. Although silylenes are expected to stick to growth surfaces to which they diffuse, they are too reactive in the gas phase to deliver a large flux onto the growth surface. Larger silylenes (SiH3SiH and larger) also isomerize to form less reactive disilenes, which we propose to be principally responsible for film growth. Film profiles observed in depositions from silane and disilane are presented, and computed film profiles are compared to these observations. Deposition from silane is explained quite well by the mechanism, as are some qualitative features of deposition from disilane.