AFM study of SiNx:H surfaces treated by hydrogen plasma: modification of morphological and scaling characteristics

Exposing silicon nitride surfaces to hydrogen plasma prior to low temperature microcrystalline-Si deposition is an effective way of modifying surfaces to improve wettability and surface cleanliness. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) showed a delicate change in the morphology and a clear increase in nucleation resulting from the modification and cleaning effect of the SiNx:H surface by H2 plasma exposure. The surface roughness correlation function measured by AFM has been shown to be in good agreement with a simple model from which the roughness exponent and lateral sizes of mountains and valleys in the surface can be deduced.