Low temperature deposition of hydrogenated nanocrystalline SiC films by helicon wave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition

Abstract

Latest innovations in large area web coating technology via plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition source technology J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 27, 970 (2009); 10.1116/1.3077287 Structural and optical investigation of plasma deposited silicon carbon alloys: Insights on Si-C bond configuration using spectroscopic ellipsometry Low temperature deposition of nanocrystalline silicon carbide films by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition and their structural and optical characterization J. Appl. Phys. 94, 5252 (2003); 10.1063/1.1609631 Plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition growth of SiC on Si(100): Morphology and electronic structureHydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon carbide ͑nc-SiC:H͒ films have been deposited by using helicon wave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique at low substrate temperature. The influences of radio frequency ͑rf͒ power and substrate temperature on the properties of the deposited nc-SiC:H films were investigated. It is found that hydrogenated amorphous SiC films were fabricated at a low rf power, while the nc-SiC:H films with a microstructure of SiC nanocrystals embedded in amorphous counterpart could be deposited when the rf power is 400 W or more. The plasma transition from the capacitive dominated discharge to the helicon wave discharge with high plasma intensity influences the film microstructure and surface morphology. The analysis of the films deposited at various substrate temperatures reveals that the onset of SiC crystallization occurs at the substrate temperature as low as 150°C. The low temperature deposition of nc-SiC:H films enables the fabrication of silicon-based thin-film solar cells onto flexible plastic substrates using nc-SiC:H film as a window layer.