Evidence of Voids Within the As-Deposited Structure of Glassy Silicon

Characterization of microstructure in amorphous and microcrystalline Si and related alloys by effusion of implanted helium

“…Microstructural effects involve fluctuations of the material density and the presence of empty spaces (voids) which may be interconnected or isolated from each other. In amorphous silicon and related materials, the presence of voids was recognized quite early [1,2] and various methods have been applied for microstructure characterization, including small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) [1,3], transmission electron microscopy [2], infrared absorption [4] and gas effusion measurements [5]. Various effects in amorphous silicon materials have been attributed to the presence of voids and void-related internal surfaces, like an enhanced defect density caused by surface desorption of hydrogen [6] and longterm oxidation of the material when stored in ambient [7].…”

Amorphous structures induced in monocrystalline silicon by mechanical loading

“…Amorphous silicon in semiconductor materials can be produced by deposition techniques, such as vacuum evaporation or sputtering, [19][20][21] and usually contains defects, such as voids and impurities. 22 It can also be produced by ion implantation where the amorphous structure depends upon the implantation conditions.…”

Calculation of Some Characteristics of an Intrinsic Random Field in Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon

“…The authors of [6, 71 offered models of the closely packed Wigner-Seitz cells either leading to a diamond-type lattice or to a pentagonal, atomic ring structure called an amorphon. Another structural model was based upon the idea of a random network of atoms [8,9]. RDFs based on these models were in good agreement with some experiment s.…”