Vertically-aligned
nanostructured
silicon
films
are
deposited
at
room
temperature
on
p-type
sili-
con
wafers
and
glass
substrates
by
inductively-coupled,
plasma-enhanced
chemical
vapor
deposition
(ICPCVD).
The
nanocrystalline
phase
is
achieved
by
reducing
pressure
and
increasing
RF
power.
The
crys-
talline
volume
fraction
(X c )
and
the
size
of
the
nanocrystals
increase
with
decreasing
pressure
at
constant
power.
Columnar
growth
of
nc-Si:H
films
is
observed
by
high
resolution
transmission
electron
microscopy
(HRTEM)
and
scanning
electron
microscopy
(SEM).
The
films
exhibit
cauliflower-like
structures
with
high
porosity
that
leads
to
slow
but
uniform
oxidation
after
exposure
to
air
at
room
temperature.
Films
deposited
at
low
pressures
exhibit
photoluminescence
(PL)
signals
that
may
be
deconvoluted
into
three
distinct
Gaussian
components:
760–810,
920–935,
and
990–1000
nm
attributable
to
the
quantum
con-
finement
and
interface
defect
states.
Hydrogen
dilution
is
manifested
in
significant
enhancement
of
the
PL,
but
it
has
little
effect
on
the
nanocrystal
size
and
X c .