Deposition of Silicon Films by Photodissociation of Silane Under IR Laser Irradiation

Abstract

In the field of semiconductor processing, a considerable amount of interest has been devoted to laser-induced deposition of silicon films [1]. For example, hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si) films can be successfully deposited on quartz or glass substrates at temperatures below 400 °C [2–4]. The technique involves vibrational excitation of silane molecules by absorption of the P(20) CO₂ laser line at 10.59 μm. Since the absorption of SiH₄ molecules is known to be enhanced by buffer gases such as hydrogen and nitrogen, the deposition rate of a-Si films formed by irradiating SiH₄-N₂ mixtures is likely to be altered.