Structure of a-Si:H/a-Si1-xCx:H multilayers deposited in a reactor with automated substrate holder

This paper deals with the structural properties of a-Si:H/a-Si1-xCx: H multilayers deposited by glow-discharge decomposition of SiH4 and SiH4 and CH4 mixtures. The main feature of the rf plasma reactor is an automated substrate holder. The plasma stabilization time and its influence on the multilayer obtained is discussed. A series of a-Si:H/a-Si1-xCx: H multilayers has been deposited and characterized by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). No asymmetry between the two types of interface has been observed. The results show that the multilayers present a very good periodicity and low roughness. The difficulty of determining the abruptness of the multilayer at the nanometer scale is discussed

Interface study of hydrogenated amorphous silicon nitride on hydrogenated amorphous silicon by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

The interface between near stoichiometric hydrogenated amorphous silicon nitride (a-SiNx :H) deposited on hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) is studied using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy as a function of the electron escape angle. This method allows the study of a-SiNx :H overlayers of about 40 Å thickness which is typical of the thicknesses used for well and barrier layers in superlattices and quantum well structures. Within the instrument’s resolution, subnitride components constitute less than 1% of the interface bonds. It is therefore concluded that the interface is atomically abrupt