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Stress in Hydrogenated Microcrystalline Silicon Thin Films

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2011

D. Peiró ,
C. Voz ,
J. Bertomeu ,
J. Andreu ,
E. Martínez  and
J. Esteve
D. Peiró
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Physics and Optics, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 647, 08028-Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain, jandreu@fao.ub.es.
C. Voz
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Physics and Optics, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 647, 08028-Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain, jandreu@fao.ub.es.
J. Bertomeu
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Physics and Optics, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 647, 08028-Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain, jandreu@fao.ub.es.
J. Andreu
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Physics and Optics, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 647, 08028-Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain, jandreu@fao.ub.es.
E. Martínez
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Physics and Optics, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 647, 08028-Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain, jandreu@fao.ub.es.
J. Esteve
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Physics and Optics, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 647, 08028-Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain, jandreu@fao.ub.es.
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Abstract

Hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon films have been obtained by hot-wire chemical vapor deposition (HWCVD) in a silane and hydrogen mixture at low pressure (<5 × 10-2 mbar). The structure of the samples and the residual stress were characterised by X- ray diffraction (XRD). Raman spectroscopy was used to estimate the volume fraction of the crystalline phase, which is in the range of 86 % to 98%. The stress values range between 150 and -140 MPa. The mechanical properties were studied by nanoindentation. Unlike monocrystalline wafers, there is no evidence of abrupt changes in the force-penetration plot, which have been attributed to a pressure-induced phase transition. The hardness was 12.5 GPa for the best samples, which is close to that obtained for silicon wafers.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 557: Symposium A – Amorphous and Heterogeneous Silicon Thin Films—Fundamentals to Devices—1999 , 1999 , 537
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1999

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