Electron energy-loss study of bonding in amorphous silicon-carbon alloy films prepared with hydrogen dilution

Abstract
Electron energy‐loss spectroscopy was used to study the nature of chemical bonding in a‐Si1−xCx:H films produced by rf glow discharge decomposition of SiH4/CH4 mixtures with hydrogen dilution. The low‐loss region, the Si L edge, and the C K edge were studied. It was found that near stoichiometric films have a high degree of Si to C bonding and that substoichiometric films show some C to C sp2 bonding. A free‐electron model was used to interpret the variation of plasmon energy of these films with composition.