Direct formation of crystalline silicon films on an amorphous substrate from chlorinated materials by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition

Low-temperature formation of crystalline silicon (c-Si) is demonstrated by controlling the early stages of a parallel plate rf (13.56 MHz) plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PE-CVD) in silicon tetrachloride (SiCl4) and H2 mixture. The crystal size, height and the number density were directly controlled by rf power, pressure and substrate temperature. The growth mechanism is discussed in terms of the chemical reactivity of the chlorine-terminated surface with atomic hydrogen.