Argon sputtering analysis of the growing surface of hydrogenated amorphous silicon films

The surface of freshly deposited hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a‐Si:H)films are studied by argon sputtering and mass‐spectrometer detection of the sputtered neutral molecules. The surface density of H atoms in the top H‐rich layers of the film is established from the initial surge of sputtered H‐containing molecules. This shows that the growing film has a hydrogen‐rich surface layer of multiply H bonded Si atoms about five monolayers thick on a room‐temperature substrate. At the ∼240 °C substrate temperature typical of film production, the thickness of this hydrogen‐rich layer decreases to about one monolayer.

[1]  R. Robertson,et al.  Reaction mechanism and kinetics of silane pyrolysis on a hydrogenated amorphous silicon surface , 1986 .

[2]  R. Collins,et al.  The effect of inert gas plasma exposure on the surface structure of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a‐Si:H) , 1986 .

[3]  R. Robertson,et al.  Mono‐ and disilicon radicals in silane and silane‐argon dc discharges , 1986 .

[4]  Chuang‐Chuang Tsai,et al.  Film formation mechanisms in the plasma deposition of hydrogenated amorphous silicon , 1986 .

[5]  A. Pawłowski,et al.  The nucleation and growth of glow‐discharge hydrogenated amorphous silicon , 1986 .

[6]  B. Drévillon.  A spectroscopic ellipsometry study of the nucleation and growth of plasma-deposited amorphous silicon☆ , 1985 .

[7]  G. Turban.  Basic phenomena in reactive low pressure plasmas used for deposition and etching-current status , 1984 .

[8]  H. Oechsner,et al.  Thin film and depth profile analysis , 1984 .

[9]  A. Gras-marti,et al.  Energy distributions of particles striking the cathode in a glow discharge , 1983 .

[10]  R. Robertson,et al.  Radical species in argon‐silane discharges , 1983 .

[11]  F. Kampas.  Reactions of atomic hydrogen in the deposition of hydrogenated amorphous silicon by glow discharge and reactive sputtering , 1982 .

[12]  R. Street,et al.  Oxidation and interface states in a-Si: H , 1981 .

[13]  R. Behrisch,et al.  Sputtering by Particle Bombardment III , 1981 .

[14]  J. Knights,et al.  Microstructure of plasma‐deposited a‐Si : H films , 1979 .

[15]  B. Goldstein,et al.  Light‐sensitive electron‐loss measurements on clean and oxygen‐adsorbed amorphous silicon , 1978 .

[16]  D. E. Carlson,et al.  A SIMS analysis of deuterium diffusion in hydrogenated amorphous silicon , 1978 .

[17]  P. Ho.  Effects of enhanced diffusion on preferred sputtering of homogeneous alloy surfaces , 1978 .