Atomic Force Microscopy Study of Initial Nucleation in the Deposition OF μc-Si:H

The initial stages of microcrystalline silicon growth of n+ doped films prepared by rf plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) and of intrinsic films prepared by hot-wire chemical vapor deposition (HW-CVD) are studied using atomic force microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and parallel dark conductivity measurements. The effect of the use of a plasma hydrogen treatment, of chamber conditioning prior to this treatment, of the type of substrate (glass or c-Si) used and the effects of a seed layer on the film properties are discussed.