Raman characterization of the structural evolution in amorphous and partially nanocrystalline hydrogenated silicon thin films prepared by PECVD

Hydrogenated silicon (Si:H) thin films were obtained by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). Raman spectroscopy was used to investigate the structural evolution in phosphor-doped n-type amorphous hydrogenated silicon thin films, which were prepared under different substrate temperatures and gas pressures. Meanwhile, the effect of nitrogen doping on the structure of P-doped thin films was also investigated by Raman spectroscopy. Moreover, the transition from the amorphous state to the nanocrystalline state of undoped Si:H films deposited through low argon dilution was studied by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. The results show that Raman spectroscopy can sensitively detect the structural evolution in hydrogenated silicon thin films deposited under different conditions in a PECVD system. Copyright (C) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.