Effect of elastic interactions on the formation of silicon nanocrystals on noncrystalline substrates in microwave low-pressure gas discharge plasma

Conditions for the synthesis of nanodimensional silicon islands on noncrystalline substrates in a microwave low-pressure gas discharge plasma have been studied for various energies of elastic interactions at the deposit-substrate interface. It is established that the formation of nanoislands proceeds via the leveling (healing) of depressions on the substrate surface. The size of nanoislands grown under optimum conditions is determined by the composition and temperature of a substrate on which silicon is deposited.