Transmission electron microscopy study of periodic amorphous multilayers

Abstract

Transmission electron micrographs of a multilayer film consisting of 360 alternating layers of plasma deposited hydrogenated amorphous silicon and silicon nitride show that each 28-Å-thick layer is remarkably flat and uniform. Within the first 1000 Å near the glass substrate the regular growth of the layers is disturbed by instabilities which resemble dislocations in the layering. Electron microscopy of compositional layering may prove to be an important tool for studying the growth mechanism during plasma deposition.