EVOLUTIONARY PHASE DIAGRAMS FOR PLASMA-ENHANCED CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION OF SILICON THIN FILMS FROM HYDROGEN-DILUTED SILANE

Real-time optical studies have been applied to develop phase diagrams that characterize plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) of silicon thin films at low temperature (200 °C). The deposition phase diagrams describe regimes over which predominantly amorphous and microcrystalline Si phases are obtained as a function of the accumulated thickness and the hydrogen-to-silane gas flow ratio R=[H2]/[SiH4] in the PECVD process. The diagrams for different substrates provide insights into optimization of amorphous Si materials and solar cells.

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