NANOPARTICLE DEPOSITION IN HYDROGENATED AMORPHOUS-SILICON FILMS DURING RF PLASMA DEPOSITION

Particles of 2-14 nm diameter, representing 10(-4)-10(-3) of the film volume, are observed by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) in thin fi lms of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) grown by rf-plasma-enha nced deposition using optimized conditions. The particles are produced in the discharge and incorporated in the film during growth, in contr adiction to expected particle trapping by discharge sheath fields. The interfaces between the nanoparticles and the homogeneous film can pro duce low-density regions that form electronic defects in a-Si:H films. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.