Suppression of silicon clusters using a grid mesh under DC bias

Abstract

Si clusters generated during the plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process have a great influence on the quality of the fabricated films. In particular, in hydrogenated amorphous silicon thin films (a-Si:H) used for thin film solar cells, Si clusters are mainly responsible for light-induced degradation. In this study, we investigated the amount of clusters incorporated into thin films using a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) and specially designed cluster eliminating filters, and investigated the effect of the DC grid mesh in preventing cluster incorporation. Experimental results showed that as the applied voltage of the grid mesh, which is placed between the electrode and the QCM, decreased, the number of clusters incorporated into the film decreased. This is due to the electrostatic force from the grid mesh bias, and this method is expected to contribute to the fabrication of high-quality thin films by preventing Si cluster incorporation.