Characterization of fluorinated hydrogenated amorphous silicon nitride (a-SiNx:H) alloys

Abstract
Fluorinated a‐SiNx:H(0≤x≤0.19) alloys prepared using glow discharge decomposition of NF3 and SiH4 have been characterized using infrared absorption and the constant photocurrent method (CPM). The bonding configurations and the oscillator strengths of various bonds in these alloys have been obtained from the infrared‐absorption spectra. The density of defects and their distribution in the band gap have been obtained without making any assumptions about the form of the distribution. It is found that in this composition range the main defect is the neutral silicon dangling bond and the concentration of charged dangling bonds is either too low or they are not present in these alloys. The possible role of fluorine in these alloys is also discussed.