GROWTH OF MICROCRYSTALLINE SILICON BY REMOTE PLASMA CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION WITHOUT HYDROGEN DILUTION

We have grown microcrystalline silicon by a remote plasma chemical vapor deposition technique using silane and helium only, without hydrogen dilution. The optimum growth temperature and rf power are 330 °C and 100 W, respectively. These results indicate that an atomic hydrogen environment on the growing surface is not always necessary to grow microcrystalline (μc‐)Si at low temperatures. It is found that the exposure of He plasma on the growing surface of μc‐Si etches the Si layer, explaining the growth of μc‐Si by using only silane and He and no hydrogen.