Low temperature plasma deposition of silicon thin films: From amorphous to crystalline

Pere Roca I Cabarrocas (1) , Romain Cariou (1) , Martin Labrune (1, 2)

1 LPICM - Laboratoire de physique des interfaces et des couches minces [Palaiseau]
2 R&D division - TOTAL S.A., Gas & Power

We report on the epitaxial growth of crystalline silicon films on (100) oriented crystalline silicon substrates by standard plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition at 175 °C. Such unexpected epitaxial growth is discussed in the context of deposition processes of silicon thin films, based on silicon radicals and nanocrystals. Our results are supported by previous studies on plasma synthesis of silicon nanocrystals and point toward silicon nanocrystals being the most plausible building blocks for such epitaxial growth. The results lay the basis of a new approach for the obtaining of crystalline silicon thin films and open the path for transferring those epitaxial layers from c-Si wafers to low cost foreign substrates.

Keywords: Silicon; Low temperature epitaxy; PECVD; Silicon nanocrystals; Substrate selectivity

Domains: Physics [physics]; Condensed Matter [cond-mat]; Materials Science [cond-mat.mtrl-sci]

Pere Roca I Cabarrocas, Romain Cariou, Martin Labrune. Low temperature plasma deposition of silicon thin films: From amorphous to crystalline. Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids, 2012, 358 (17), pp.2000-2003. ⟨10.1016/j.jnoncrysol.2011.12.113⟩. ⟨hal-00806450⟩