Microscopic Studies of Dual Phase Amorphous/Microcrystalline Silicon Prepared by the Saddle-Field Glow Discharge Deposition Method with Hydrogen Dilution

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2004 in Savannah, Georgia, USA, August 1–5, 2004.

Influence of Hydrogen Dilution on Properties of Silicon Films Prepared by D.C. Saddle-Field Glow-Discharge: Observation of Microcrystallinity

In the D.C. saddle field glow discharge deposition the transition from amorphous to microcrystalline silicon thin films occurs when the silane concentration in the gas phase drops below 10%. We report here the results of Raman spectroscopy, SEM, TEM, and HRTEM studies of the film morphology. We estimate the average crystallite size to be in the range of 5 to 7 nm and the crystalline volume fraction of 25 to 35%.