Structure Change of Microcrystalline Silicon Films in Deposition Process

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Abstract
Structure change with thickness of films of microcrystalline silicon prepared by reactive sputtering and glow discharge techniques has been investigated with transmission electron microscopes and a Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer. An amorphous state changes into a microcrystalline one with increase of the thickness from 10 to 100 nm. Sufficiently thick films (>0.4∼0.5 µm) deposited by the reactive sputtering show a columnar structure with an orientation of microcrystals {110} parallel to the substrate. As the orientation of the microcrystals develops with thickness, IR absorption bands due to Si–H stretching become sharper.