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Silicon-rich SiO2 films of various compositions were deposited by atmospheric or plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (CVD) techniques. These films were annealed at various temperatures between 700 and 1100 °C. The growth and crystallinity of the silicon clusters were monitored by transmission electron microscopy. The growth of the silicon clusters was found to be diffusion controlled with an activation energy measured to a first approximation at 1.9 eV/atom for both atmospheric and plasma-enhanced CVD films. A minimum annealing temperature of between 800 and 950 °C and a minimum amount of excess Si above SiO2 are required to form crystalline silicon particles in the films. The minimum silicon crystal diameter was measured at 2.5 nm.
L. Nesbit (Tue,) studied this question.