HIGH-TEMPERATURE ANNEALING OF SILICON SUBOXIDE THIN FILMS OBTAINED BY GAS-JET ELECTRON BEAM PLASMA CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION

Thin films of amorphous nonstoichiometric silicon oxide ( a-SiO $$_{x}$$ :H, where $$0 < x < 2$$ ) are synthesized via gas-jet electron beam plasma chemical vapor deposition. The stoichiometric coefficient of the a-SiO $$_{x}$$ :H films is varied within a range of 0.47–1.63 as a function of $$R$$ , determined by the flow rate of the Ar–SiH4 mixture. High-temperature annealing (at 950°C for 2 h) of a-SiO $$_{x}$$ :H thin films causes the formation of crystalline silicon nanoparticles with a size of 8.3–12.3 nm. It is shown that, with an increase in $$R$$ , the degree of crystallinity of annealed films becomes higher by up to 66%. It is assumed that the position of a nanocrystalline silicon peak in the Raman spectra is affected by mechanical stresses. The quantitative estimation of such a stress yields 1.0–1.7 GPa.