Abstract

Gas-phase silane (SiH₄) has been used extensively for thin-film deposition using electrical, radio-frequency (rf) discharge, and laser sources. A large number of ground and/or electronically excited-state neutrals such as Si, SiH, SiH₂, H, H₂, etc., and ionized species such as Si⁺, SiH⁺, SiH₂⁺, H⁺, H₂⁺, etc., are expected to be present in such media. Some of these species have been observed by Sansonnens et al. and Matsuda and Tanaka in an rf discharge through SiH₄ and Si₂H₆ vapors and by Ho and Breiland with the use of a laser. In an electric discharge (dc or rf) medium containing SiH₄, a large number of electrons, ions, and neutral species are expected to be present, and the kinetic processes leading to the formation of various ions and neutral species (ground or excited states) become very complex. The individual contributions of the electron-molecule or secondary ion-molecule reaction leading to the global light and ion formation in the discharge medium may be understood by examining them separately. Lampe and co-workers have studied the charge transfer processes involving low-energy ions such as Si⁺, SiH⁺, SiH₂⁺, etc., and neutral species such as SiH₄ and CH₄ and have measured the rate of formation of the secondary ions produced during the reaction. However, there is no information available on the formation of the electronically or ground-state vibrationally excited-state species. There are a few studies including chemical vapor deposition, plasma sputtering, and rf glow discharge in which the presence of some of these species has been discovered either in the ground or the electronically excited states. In some cases, the ion or laser beam enhanced thin-film deposition rate has been observed. Again, there is no information on the production of the excited-state species' electronically or ground-state vibrationally excited states.

Emission spectra of KrF in the chemical reaction of KrF₂ with SiH₄

T. T. Yang, R. D. Bower, and J. A. Blauer
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 8(3) 548-552 (1991)

HgCl(B—X) emission due to CO⁺ and CH₃HgCl collisions

Mohammad F. Mahmood
Appl. Opt. 28(23) 4975-4977 (1989)

Precision measurements of photoabsorption cross sections of Ar, Kr, Xe, and selected molecules at 58.4, 73.6, and 74.4 nm

James A. R. Samson and Lifeng Yin
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 6(12) 2326-2333 (1989)

Photoabsorption cross-section measurement of Ar₂F excimer at 248 nm

Kohzo Hakuta, Susumu Miki, and Hiroshi Takuma
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 5(6) 1261-1265 (1988)

B → X transitions in HgI caused by collisions of N2+ -CO⁺ ions with HgI₂ molecules

Mohammad F. Mahmood
Appl. Opt. 30(18) 2427-2430 (1991)