Silicon films deposited on flexible substrate by hot-wire chemical-vapor deposition

•Cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) is a lower water vapor transmission rate of polymer.•The microcrystalline silicon is grown on COC substrate at low deposited temperature.•The crystallinity of silicon films can be effect by hydrogen dilution.•The lower WVTR of flexible substrate could avoid the post-oxidized of silicon film.

Silicon film was deposited on a novel flexible polymer, cyclic olefin copolymer (COC), by using hot-wire chemical-vapor deposition at a low substrate temperature and increasing hydrogen-dilution ratios (DH: 0%–95%). The crystallinity of the silicon film coated on a COC substrate increased, changing from amorphous to microcrystalline, accompanying the rising hydrogen-dilution ratio. The surface morphology of the deposited silicon film varied according to the hydrogen-dilution ratio, with roughness values of the silicon film increasing from 4.20 to 6.51 nm. This study examined the effect of hydrogen-dilution ratios on the crystallinity, surface roughness, and optical-absorption properties of silicon films.