Structural and electronic differences between deuterated and hydrogenated amorphous silicon

Both as-deposited and plasma-treated hydrogenated and deuterated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H and a-Si:D) films are prepared by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Their structural and electronic characteristics are studi ed and compared. It is found that the deuterium concentration of a-Si:D is higher than the hydrogen concentration of a-Si:H in as-deposited samples, b ut is less in plasma-treated samples, which is consistent with the photolum inescence spectra. Besides, the proportionality constants relating the inte grated stretching mode absorption to the concentrations of Si-D and Si-H bo nds were determined, i.e., 1x10(20) for Si-D and 6.9x10(19) for Si-H, by me ans of secondary ion mass spectrometry. (C) 2000 American Institute of Phys ics. [S0021-8979(00)06815-8].