In situ electron-spin-resonance measurements of film growth of hydrogenated amorphous silicon

In situ electron-spin-resonance (ESR) measurements of film growth of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) using a remote hydrogen plasma technique have been performed, The Si dangling-bond signal in a-Si:H during and after deposition has been detected, in addition to the gas-phase ESR signals both of atomic hydrogen and radicals related with silane molecules, Dynamic changes of the Si dangling-bond signal intensity have been observed in real-time, where the signal intensity increases with deposition time and decreases after stopping the deposition due to a structural relaxation. High potentiality of in situ ESR techniques for microscopic understanding of film growth and surface reaction has been demonstrated. (C) 1997 American Institute of Physics.