Properties of non‐stoichiometric nitrogen doped LPCVD silicon thin films

Abstract

AbstractThe influence of nitrogen on the internal structure and so on the electrical properties of silicon thin films obtained by low‐pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) was studied using several investigation methods. We found by using Raman spectroscopy and SEM observations that a strong relationship exists between the structural order of the silicon matrix and the nitrogen ratio in film before and after thermal treatment. As a result of the high disorder caused by nitrogen on silicon network during the deposit phase of films, the crystallization phenomena in term of nucleation and crystalline growth were found to depend upon the nitrogen content. Resistivity measurements results show that electrical properties of NIDOS films depend significantly on structural properties. It was appeared that for high nitrogen content, the films tend to acquire an insulator behavior. (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)