Effect of diluent gas on silicon film deposition from a free jet of monosilane-diluent mixture activated by electron-beam plasma

Abstract

Thin silicon films were synthesized by the gas-jet electron beam plasma chemical vapor deposition method from monosilane-argon, monosilane-argon-helium, and monosilane-argon-hydrogen mixtures. Addition of argon to the argon-silane mixture increased the deposition rate of silicon films, whereas addition of helium and hydrogen to the same mixture decreased the growth rate. It is shown that the process of silicon film deposition by this method from argon-monosilane mixture is primarily governed by fast secondary electrons, and argon dilution of mixture leads to increasing concentration of fast secondary electrons and increasing deposition rate of silicon films. Dilution of the initial mixture with helium or hydrogen causes a decrease in the deposition rate either due to gas-dynamic behavior of the supersonic jet of the mixture of light and heavy gases, or due to the etching effect of metastable helium atoms or hydrogen atoms on the surface of the growing silicon film.