Growth kinetics of plasma deposited microcrystalline silicon thin films

A continuum model for the nucleation and growth of microcrystalline silicon thin films from SiH4/H-2 discharges is presented. The simulation considers mass balances and surface coverage with adspecies and silicon clusters up to the size where they can be considered as thermodynamically stable. The model is combined to a plasma gas phase simulator and a simulator of thin film morphology and is used for studying the growth differences in two different regions, the center and the edge of a 30 x 30 cm(2) substrate. The predictions for the film growth rate, film crystallinity and surface roughness in both regions are presented and discussed together with the main processes governing nucleation and growth and the slow step for stable nanocrystal formation. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.