Connection between hydrogen plasma treatment and etching of amorphous phase in the layer-by-layer technique with very high frequency plasma excitation

Abstract

The formation of microcrystalline silicon was investigated employing the layer-by-layer technique with very high frequency plasma excitation. Etching of the deposited layers was found to be a dominant effect during hydrogen plasma treatment. Microcrystalline growth occurred when the thickness of the deposited layer was reduced to a certain value in each cycle. The etching stopped when a noticeable crystalline volume fraction was produced; for long hydrogen treatment times no film growth was observed. © 1999 American Institute of Physics.