No abstract

Si clusters formed in silane discharge plasmas are mainly responsible for light induced degradation of hydrogenated amorphous Si (a-Si:H) thin films deposited by the plasmas. Here we have investigated effects of grid DC bias on incorporation amount of Si clusters into a-Si:H films in multi-hollow discharge plasma CVD reactor using quartz crystal microbalances, by which volume fraction of Si clusters in deposited films is quantitatively measured. When the grid potential is lower than plasma potential, the negatively charged clusters are repelled away from the grid by electrostatic force, resulting in lower volume fraction.