Low-temperature growth of poly-crystalline silicon films using SiCl4 and H2 mixture

Polycrystalline silicon thin films were deposited at 200 degC using a SiCl₄/H₂ mixture by conventional plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition technology. The effect of deposition power on grain size and crystallinity has been determined. The maximum grain size measured by SEM is 1.5 μm. The crystallinity of films estimated from Raman spectroscopy is more than 90% and it depends strongly on the deposition power. The measurements of energy dispersion spectroscopy shows that the films are composed of pure silicon, without impurities such as Cl, H, C, N, and O, etc.. The low-temperature growth mode is discussed.