High rate growth highly crystallized microcrystalline silicon films using SiH4/H2 high-density microwave plasma

The plasma parameter for fast deposition of highly crystallized microcrystalline silicon (μc-Si) films with low defect density is presented using the high-density and low-temperature microwave plasma (MWP) of a SiH4–H2 mixture. A very high deposition rate of ∼ 65 Å/s has been achieved at SiH4 concentration of 67% diluted in H2 with high Raman crystallinity Ic / Iα > 3 and low defect density of 1–2 × 1016 cm− 3 by adjusting the plasma condition. Contrary to the conventional rf plasma, the defect density of the μc-Si films strongly depend on substrate temperature Ts and it increased with increasing Ts despite Ts below 300 °C, suggesting that the real surface temperature at the growing surface was higher than the monitored value. The sufficient supply of deposition precursors such as SiH3 at the growth surface under an appropriate ion bombardment was effective for the fast deposition of highly crystallized μc-Si films as well as the suppression of the incubation and transition layers at the initial growth stage.