Sputtered Amorphous Silicon Thin Films Exhibiting Low Argon Working Gas Content and High Film Density

To achieve high-quality sputtered amorphous silicon (a-Si) thin films with low argon (Ar) working gas atom content and high film density, the effects of PArDTS on Ar gas content and film density is investigated. Here, P-Ar is Ar working pressure and D-TS is target-to-substrate. The findings from this work indicate that the Ar gas content in the films primarily arises from highly energetic reflected Ar ions that bombard growing a-Si thin films at low PArDTS values (< 50 Pa<middle dot>mm). As P(Ar)D(TS )increases, a monotonic decrease in film density is observed. This results well correlates with the declining average energy of sputtered silicon atoms reaching the substrate. Optimal conditions for fabricating sputtered a-Si thin films with both low Ar content and high film density were identified within the PArDTS range of 30-40 Pa<middle dot>mm. This research could provide valuable insights for researchers seeking to optimize the balance between low working gas content and high film density in sputtered thin films. [GRAPHICS]