Electroreflectance and Raman scattering investigation of glow-discharge amorphous Si:F:H

The electroreflectance and Raman scattering spectra of several samples of glow-discharge amorphous Si:F:H films have been investigated. We have observed for the first time modulated optical spectroscopy structure above the absorption edge for a disordered semiconductor. The energy positions of these structures, at 3.4 and 4.5 eV, correspond to peaks seen in crystalline silicon. In particular, the latter feature can be related to the degree of disorder in the material. Also we have seen for the first time in disordered silicon (except for ion-damaged, laser annealed samples) peaks in the Raman spectra intermediate between amorphous (465 cm^-1) and crystalline materials (522 cm^-1). These experimental results provide strong evidence that a-Si:F:H possesses “microcrystalline” or some other intermediate range order (i.e., an improved connectivity between the elements of the random network.)