Research on silane depletion status during the deposition of silicon thin films by high-pressure PECVD

In this paper a series of hydrogenated silicon thin films were prepared by high-pressure radio frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (RF-PECVD) using various plasma powers. The influence of plasma power on Raman crystallinity and deposition rate was investigated to study the silane depletion level during the deposition of silicon thin films. Based on these results the status of silane depletion were classified as un-depleted, depleted and over-depleted status. Additionally, the structural and opto-electrical properties were also investigated for those materials deposited under different silane depletion status. The results demonstrated that the μc-Si:H films, which are deposited at depleted status, have good opto-electrical properties and are suitable for application as intrinsic layers in solar cells.