Control of nanoparticle size and amount by using the mesh grid and applying DC-bias to the substrate in silane ICP-CVD process

The effect of applying a bias to the substrate on the size and amount of charged crystalline silicon nanoparticles deposited on the substrate was investigated in the inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition process. By inserting the grounded grid with meshes above the substrate, the region just above the substrate was separated from the plasma. Thereby, crystalline Si nanoparticles formed by the gas-phase reaction in the plasma could be deposited directly on the substrate, successfully avoiding the formation of a film. Moreover, the size and the amount of deposited nanoparticles could be changed by applying direct current bias to the substrate. When the grid of 1 × 1-mm-sized mesh was used, the nanoparticle flux was increased as the negative substrate bias increased from 0 to – 50 V. On the other hand, when a positive bias was applied to the substrate, Si nanoparticles were not deposited at all. Regardless of substrate bias voltages, the most frequently observed nanoparticles synthesized with the grid of 1 × 1-mm-sized mesh had the size range of 10–12 nm in common. When the square mesh grid of 2-mm size was used, as the substrate bias was increased from – 50 to 50 V, the size of the nanoparticles observed most frequently increased from the range of 8–10 to 40–45 nm but the amount that was deposited on the substrate decreased.