Atmospheric pressure plasma chemical vapor deposition system for high-rate deposition of functional materials

The atmospheric pressure plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD) system has been developed to fabricate functional thin films at very high deposition rate. The atmospheric pressure plasma, in which high-density radicals are created, has been effectively used to deposit thin films. Combination of the newly designed rotary electrode and the 150 MHz very high frequency power supply makes it possible not only to generate the high-density atmospheric pressure plasma but also to avoid ion bombardment against the film. By virtue of these noble characteristics of the system, high quality films can be fabricated at an unprecedented high deposition rate. In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the atmospheric pressure plasma CVD system, hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) films were prepared in gas mixtures containing He, H-2, and SiH4. The results showed that homogeneous a-Si:H films grew when substrates were heated at 200 degrees C. Extremely high deposition rate, which was more than 100 times faster than that of the conventional low-pressure plasma CVD technique, was realized. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0034-6748(00)03108-7].