Role of Material Structure on Molecular Diffusion of Hydrogen in a-Si:C:H Films

We used Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) analysis of bi-layers of plasma-grown hy-drogenated amorphous silicon-carbide films to investigate the role of the material structure in the hydrogen diffusion process. In the bi-layers one layer was deposited using CH4/SiH4 and in the other layer CD4/SiD4 was applied. The carbon concentration was 20 at.%. In previous work we showed, using Elastic Recoil Detection (ERD) and Thermal Desorption Spectrometry (TDS), that the hydrogen moves molecular through these films in the temperature range 325 < T < 450 °C [1]. Using FTIR we obtained information about the number of Si-H and Si-D bonds and their change upon annealing. The FTIR data indicate a structural change during annealing. A comparison with the TDS spectra led us to the conclusion that at higher temperatures the out-diffusion of hydrogen stops because of the hindrance of the molecular transport.