Evolution of morphology of surface during film growth of polycrystalline silicon with hemispherical grains

Evolution of surface morphology during film growth of polycrystalline silicon with hemispherical grains (HSG-Si films) is studied using scaling analysis of surface images obtained by atomic-force microscopy. It has been found from the height-height correlation functions that roughness exponent α = 0.92 ± 0.03 and does not depend on the thickness of a film. The dependences of interface width W(t), correlation length ξ(t) and wavelength λ(t) on deposition time, as well as the scaling coefficients β, 1/z, and p, are found.