Texture of thin silicon films deposited from Si₂Cl₆

Thin Silicon films were deposited on non-crystal quartz glass substrates by hydrogen reduction of Si₂Cl₆ at temperatures from 650 to 900 °C in a horizontal hot wall reactor. The microstructures of the thin silicon films deposited under various experimental conditions were analyzed. The thin silicon films deposited from 750 to 850 °C have the highest degree of preferred (220) plane orientation with the 〈111〉 direction along the plane, and the cross-sectional morphology exhibits a columnar structure. The experimental values of the lattice spacing approach a value cited in JCPDS for the films deposited in a higher temperature range. In the lower temperature range the morphology of surface is flat and smooth, and in the higher temperature range the surface becomes uneven remarkably.