Influence of the Electrode Spacing on the Plasma Characteristics and Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon Film Properties Grown in the DC Saddle Field PECVD System

ABSTRACTA new plasma deposition system was built with the capability of varying the electrode spacing in the DC Saddle Field plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition system. An ion mass spectrometer was installed just below the substrate holder to sample the ion species travelling towards the substrate. Silane plasma and amorphous silicon film studies were conducted to shed light on the impinging ion species, ion energy distributions, and film properties with varying electrode spacing. The results indicate that decreasing the distance between the substrate and cathode leads to a reduction in the high energy ion bombardment.