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Fractal-Like Structures Present in Hydrogenated Amorphous and Microcrystalline Silicon

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2011

M.J. Geerts ,
R.C. van Oort  and
J.C. van den Heuvel
M.J. Geerts
Affiliation:
Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mekelweg 4, 2628 CD DELFT, The Netherlands
R.C. van Oort
Affiliation:
Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mekelweg 4, 2628 CD DELFT, The Netherlands
J.C. van den Heuvel
Affiliation:
Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mekelweg 4, 2628 CD DELFT, The Netherlands
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Abstract

In hydrogenated amorphous silicon NMR studies indicate a twophase structural inhomogenity. Hydrogenated microcrystalline films consist of small crystals with a typical size of 100 Å, embedded in an amorphous web. A hydrogen rf plasma is able to etch both type of films, but with different etch rates. The more crystalline parts of a film are etched more slowly, which makes hydrogen plasma etching a technique that can reveal structural inhomogenities and differences in structural disorder as present, both in amorphous and in microcrystalline silicon films.

Amorphous and microcrystalline films were etched and fractal-like structures were visible when using a SEM at a magnification of 20000 times. In microcrystalline films the fractals form a closed network. The number and typical size of the fractals present in amorphous films can be influenced by the conditions during the deposition.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 164: Symposium H – Materials Issues in Microcrystalline Semiconductors , 1989 , 177
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1990

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