Nano-crystalline silicon thin films grown by the inductively coupled plasma assisted CFUBM at low temperature

The hydrogenated nano-crystalline silicon thin films were deposited on glass substrates at low temperatures in an argon and hydrogen atmosphere using inductively coupled plasma (ICP) — assisted closed field unbalanced magnetron sputtering (CFUBM) system. A one-turn ICP coil was installed to dissociate the hydrogen molecules by the induced magnetic field inside the chamber. The emission intensity, IHα (656.28 nm), was saturated at a magnetron RF (13.56 MHz) power of 400 W and increased with increasing ICP RF (13.56 MHz) power. The Raman peak of the silicon thin film shifted from 480 cm− 1 (amorphous phase) to 520 cm− 1 (crystalline phase) with increasing ICP power. The crystalline volume fraction of the silicon thin films was 65% at an ICP power of 400 W and the crystallite grain size was approximately 7 nm. X-ray diffraction and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy were used to examine the structural changes and chemical bonding state, respectively.