Effect of hydrogen radical on decomposition of chlorosilane source gases

The effect of hydrogen radical on production of Si from chlorosilane sources has been studied. We used hydrogen radical generated from pulsed thermal plasma to decompose SiHCl3 and SiCl4. Hydrogen radical was effective for lowering the temperature to produce Si from SiHCl3. SiCl4 source, which was chemically stable and by-product in Siemens process, was decomposed effectively by hydrogen radical. The decomposition of SiCl4 was consistent with the thermo-dynamical calculation predicting that the use of hydrogen radical could drastically enhance the yield of Si production rather than case of H2 gas.