Effect of keV ion irradiation on mechanical properties of hydrogenated amorphous silicon

The susceptibility of mechanical properties of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) to the implantation-enhanced disorder has been studied with the aim to extend the application field of this material in the technology of micro-electromechanical systems. Effect of keV ion irradiation on the elastic modulus, E, of hardness, H, and of root-mean-squared roughness to silicon ion implantation has been determined. The mechanical properties were evaluated by nanoindentation testing. E of 119 GPa and H of 12.3 GPa were determined for the as-prepared a-Si:H film. The implantation of silicon ions leads to a decrease in E and H, evaluated for a series of the implantation fluences in the range of 1.0 × 1013–5.0 × 1016 cm−2. Surface smoothing has been observed at high fluences and low ion energy of 18 keV, suggesting that ion beam may be used as a tool to reduce the roughness of the a-Si:H surface, while keeping intact the mechanical properties inside the film. The conducted experiments show that it is possible to prepare a-Si:H films with hardness and smoothness comparable to crystalline silicon.