The microstructure of DC sputtered amorphous SiC:H was studied by effusion measurements of H and of implanted inert gases and secondary ion mass spectrometry. The results suggested that the motion of inert gas atoms was controlled by the diffusion, greatly depending on a broadening of network openings. Already at C concentrations of 25at%, isolated voids disappeared presumably because interconnected voids were formed. Void formation was mainly attributed to an increase in H incorporation in the samples.

The Diffusion of Hydrogen and Inert Gas in Sputtered a-SiC:H Alloys - Microstructure Study. R.Saleh, L.Munisa, W.Beyer: Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 2006, 90[18-19], 3449-55