Patent ID: 7981776

Claim:
A method of depositing an i layer of microcrystalline silicon on a substrate in a plasma chamber, the method comprising the steps of sequentially: (a) filling the plasma chamber with a reactive silicon-containing gas and hydrogen; (b) starting a plasma in the chamber; (c) depositing an i layer of homogeneous microcrystalline silicon on the substrate by continuously supplying the chamber only with a reactive silicon-containing gas or with a mixture of a reactive silicon-containing gas and hydrogen in which the concentration of the reactive silicon-containing gas is set at more than 3% while simultaneously withdrawing at least part of gas from the chamber such that a total flow of gases introduced into the plasma chamber with reference to a surface of the substrate to be coated does not exceed a value of 1 (sccm*s/(cm 2 *nm)) relative to a silicon deposition rate; and (d) exciting the plasma at a frequency of less than 50 MHz and establishing a deposition pressure greater than 3 mbar.