Electron microscopy of non-monocrystalline magnetron sputtered silicon thin films containing fibrous nanosilicon

Abstract

The article examines the features of the microstructure of a new type of silicon film, based on a previously unstudied form of nanosilicon, obtained by magnetron sputtering. Microstructural analysis was carried out using a Jeol JSM-6490LA scanning electron microscope, a JEM2100 transmission electron microscope, and a Ntegra atomic force microscope (AFM) Therma. Raman spectroscopic analysis of silicon films was carried out on a Horiba system Jobin – Yvon HR800UV (France). It has been established that the new form of nanosilicon under the studied conditions for obtaining silicon films is represented by fibers with a diameter of 10 to 150 nm. From a microstructural point of view, a silicon film, when a significant proportion of a new type of nanosilicon is formed in the film composition, acquires a porous cellular structure resulting from the interweaving of silicon nanofibers. The cells have an elongated oval shape with a width and length of about 1 and 3 µm, respectively. The obtained microphotographs are compared with similar data obtained when creating thin silicon films, which contain various polymorphic modifications of silicon in order to further classify the visual display of polymorphism and non-ideality of silicon nanostructures.