Published online by Cambridge University Press: 26 February 2011
A systematic comparison of the growth of plasma deposited amorphous silicon a-Si:H on chromium and glass substrates using real-time ellipsometry is presented. In order to compare the optical properties of the substrates before and after a-Si:H deposition, the amorphous films are removed by H-etching. Although the early stage of the growth of a-Si:H on chromium substrates is compatible with a nucleation mechanism, chromium suicides are probably produced at the film substrate interface. A faster chemical reaction between a-Si:H and the glass substrate is observed.