Effects of hydrogen atoms on the network structure of hydrogenated amorphous and microcrystalline silicon thin films

By alternating the deposition of a several-angstrom-thick hydrogenated amorphous silicon layer and the exposure to a hydrogen plasma, the structure of the resultant hydrogenated silicon films is varied from device-grade amorphous to microcrystalline without any change in the film precursors. On the basis of experimental results, the effects of hydrogen atoms reaching the film-growing surface on the Si-Si network structure are discussed.