Silicon film formation by chemical transport in atmospheric-pressure pure hydrogen plasma

To prepare polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) films at low temperatures (< 400 degrees C) with high deposition rate, we propose a chemical transport method using atmospheric-pressure pure hydrogen plasma, called the atmospheric-pressure enhanced chemical transport method. In this method, high-pressure (200-760 Torr) stable glow plasma of pure hydrogen was generated by a 150 MHz very high frequency power between the two parallel electrodes less than 2 mm apart. One of the electrodes is composed of the cooled Si solid source and the other the heated substrate (200-400 degrees C). According to the temperature dependence of hydrogen etching rate of Si, SiHx species are mainly generated at the cooled Si solid source by hydrogen atoms. These species are again decomposed in the plasma, transported to the substrate to form Si films. In the present experiments on poly-Si film formation, a high deposition rate of 300 nm/min was achieved at 400 degrees C, and nearly ideal utilization efficiencies (>93%) of Si solid source was realized in every condition. Si grains formed on a (001) Si substrate revealed anisotropic morphology elongated along < 110 > directions, and most of them had columnar structures epitaxially grown to the thickness of 2 mu m even at 200 degrees C. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics.