Vibrational Spectrum and Order of Laser-Quenched Amorphous Silicon

The first physical-property measurements on laser-quenched amorphous Si are reported. The form of the vibrational spectrum and degree of structural order have been obtained by depolarized-Raman-scattering measurements. A thin layer prepared by 700-psec pulses of 3567-{} radiation is found to have a bond-angle variation equal to, but no greater than, that achieved in vapor-deposited pure amorphous Si. The results suggest a maximum allowed order that may be achieved in amorphous Si.