An electron-cyclotron-resonance plasma apparatus for hydrogenated amorphous-silicon thin film production

Chlorinated hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H,Cl) films and hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC:H) films have been produced using a microwave electron-cyclotron-resonance (ECR) plasma deposition apparatus. The sophisticated ECR system has performed reliably, producing very stable plasma discharges for different gases, microwave powers, flow rates, magnetic field strengths, and discharge pressures. Twenty-two a-Si:H,Cl films and nine a-SiC:H films were produced using a silicon tetrachloride (SiCU) liquid source and a proprietary liquid source, courtesy of the J. C. Schumacher Company. The a-Si:H,Cl films have shown high photoconductivity to dark conductivity ratios comparable to good quality glow-discharge-prepared a-Si:H films; they are thus suitable for solar cell fabrication. The a-SiC:H films have shown high carbon contents with optical bandgaps on the order of 2.4 eV.