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An Investigation of the Influence of Plasma Characteristics on the Electronic and Optical Properties of Device Quality a-Si:H Grown by Electron Cyclotron Resonance Plasma Deposition

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2011

Ralph D. Knox
Affiliation:
Microelectronics Research Center, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011
V. L. Dalal
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011
B. Moradi
Affiliation:
Microelectronics Research Center, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011
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Abstract

The electronic and optical properties of device quality hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) films grown by electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma deposition were studied together with in-situ plasma characteristics. Hydrogen and helium plasmas, excited by 50–250 watts of 2.45 GHz microwave power under ECR conditions, were used to decompose silane at 6 to 20 mtorr pressures during the deposition of a-Si:H films at a 297 C substrate temperature. Both the electron temperature and density, and ion flux are measured near the deposition surface using plane and cylindrical Langmuir probes. An attempt is made to correlate these plasma properties with the light and dark photoconductivity, optical gap, refractive index, and subband gap photoconductivity.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1991

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References

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