Experimental evidence for extended hydrogen diffusion in silicon thin films during light-soaking

We have used mass spectrometry to detect hydrogen effusing from silicon thin films exposed to light. Our results indicate a long range diffusion of hydrogen through the whole film, which ends with its release into the vacuum system. The changes in the film properties are characterized by dark and photoconductivity and hydrogen exodiffusion measurements. From the evolution of dark conductivity measurements after turning off the light, we show that this long range motion of hydrogen is not due to the heating of the sample. A comparison of hydrogen exodiffusion spectra of as-deposited and light-soaked samples shows that the weakly-bonded hydrogen content decreases by 30% for a-Si:H films and that the tightly-bonded hydrogen migrates to grain boundaries of crystalline regions in the case of pm-Si:H films. These results clearly demonstrate the long range motion of hydrogen during light soaking.