Deposition of Amorphous and Microcrystalline Films of Silicon by the Gas-Jet Plasma-Chemical Method

Abstract

Uniform thin films of amorphous and microcrystalline silicon are obtained within the forevacuum range of pressures by the gas-jet plasma-chemical method with the activation of gas by an electron beam. The effect of the flow rate of the carrier gas argon, the concentration of monosilane, the pressure in the reaction chamber, material of the substrate, and value of the current of the activating electron beam on the rate of deposition, photosensitivity, and crystallinity of the layers of silicon is investigated. For the amorphous silicon films, deposition rates of >1 nm/s are achieved, and for layers with a crystallinity exceeding 60%, the rate of deposition exceeded 0.6 nm/s. It is found that the substrate material does not have an effect on the structure of the deposited layers of silicon and the rate of their deposition.