The Local Atomic Arrangement in Amorphous Si_xc_1−x:H By Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy and Electron Diffraction

Abstract

We have used electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) and electron diffraction to study the local atomic arrangement in amorphous SixCl.x:H in the composition range 0.37 < x < I.In the thin films, which were prepared by radio-frequency glow discharge from a mixture of methane and silane, the w* at the K-edge of C does not show up even for the highest Ccontent, i.e., Si 0 . 3 7 C 0 .63, consistent with fourfold coordinated C in the whole composition range studied. Also the electron diffraction results suggest a tetrahedral network.Models where the minority element is surrounded by four atoms of the majority element, fit the experimental data better than models based on a random distribution of Si and C on the tetrahedral network.