Short-range order, microstructure and their correlation with light-induced degradation in hydrogenated amorphous silicon deposited at high growth rates by cathode heating technique

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) films were deposited at high growth rates by increasing the rf power density in a (SiH₄+H₂) discharge, while powder formation due to gas phase polymerization was controlled by heating the cathode together with the anode. A combination of Raman scattering, infrared absorption, and small angle x-ray scattering experiments was used to study the short-range order and microstructure of films deposited in different (dusty or otherwise) plasma conditions. The results were correlated with initial and light-soaked photoresponse to demonstrate that films with more microstructure and less short-range order were generally poorer.