The transport process of sputtered Si atoms from the target to the substrate, crossing an argon‐hydrogen plasma, is modeled by using Monte Carlo techniques. The hydrogen and argon partial pressures, the dark zone voltage, and the target‐substrate distance are varied in the calculations. The effect of the above‐mentioned parameters upon the thermalization and energy distribution of atoms arriving at the substrate is calculated, allowing the determination of the growth conditions that minimize the damage produced on the films by highly energetic atoms, while maintaining a reasonable growth rate.