Structure and chemical composition of glow discharge Si:H,Cl films. The role of gas phase argon addition.

Hydrogenated and chlorinated silicon films have been deposited in radiofrequency, capacitively coupled, glow discharge fed with SiCl4-H2-Ar mixtures. The presence of argon strongly affects the structure and the chemical composition of the material; in a well defined range of Ar:H2 ratio a purely amorphous material can be deposited. At high values of Ar addition a transition deposition-etching is observed.