Revealing the surface interface correlations in $a$-Si:H films by 2D detrended fluctuation analysis

Modified 2D detrended fluctuation analysis is used to reveal surface interface correlations. Model surfaces with a known rule of construction and different structural properties (ordered, weakly ordered, and random) are investigated. Obtained values of the scaling exponent are compared with known scales of values. Features of the scaling behavior on different scales are established. It is shown that the method can be effectively applied to studying the surface evolution, e.g., in growing disordered semiconductor films, estimating the degree of ordering, and investigating self-organization processes. The surfaces of amorphous hydrogenated silicon films are investigated by atomic force microscopy. 2D detrended fluctuation analysis shows the non-monofractality of the surfaces and the presence of several surface interface components: noise and sinusoidal.