Two-Phase Structure of a-Si1-xNx:H Fabricated by Microwave Glow-Discharge Technique

Amorphous Si1-x N x :H films (x 0.1) were made by the microwave discharge technique. At x less than 0.05, both the activation energy E a of the conductivity σ and the optical energy bandgap E op of a-Si1-x N x :H films were almost constant, while σ decreased rapidly with increasing x. It is predicted from the intensity variation of the Si-H stretching modes as a function of x that the film consists of mixed phases of a-Si and a-Si3N4, and that E op and E a are determined by the a-Si phase.