Dominant reaction channels and the mechanism of silane decomposition in a H2-Si(s)-SiH4 glow discharge

Chemical relaxation mass spectrometry has been used to study the kinetics and mechanism in the silane-hydrogen-solid silicon system under conditions of glow discharge. The emphasis was on the main processes related to the deposition of amorphous and nanocrystalline silicon thin films. It is shown that under conditions of the deposition of a-Si and nc-Si the dominant reaction channel is the electron impact induced fragmentation of silane into molecular hydrogen and SiH₂ radical. The role of other processes, such as hydrogen abstraction, is discussed.