MICRO-RAMAN STUDY OF REACTIVE PULSED-LASER ABLATION DEPOSITED SILICON-CARBON ALLOY-FILMS

Si1-xCx:H alloy thin films were deposited by pulsed laser ablation of a crystalline silicon target in a reactive environment. The microstruc ture of the films was studied by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images and spatially resolved Raman spectroscopy. The,films wer e found to consist of mixed microcrystalline and amorphous phases, wit h a silicon crystallite size of 5-6 nm. Incorporation of carbon and hy drogen was found to occur mainly in the amorphous phase. Results showe d that films growth is given by deposition of atomic and molecular siz ed material reacting with ionized species. Some inhomogeneities observ ed in the SEM images were attributed to rapid cooling of liquid drople ts ejected from the target. (C) 1998 American Vacuum Society. [S0734-2 101(98)03405-8].