Conduction mechanisms in doped mixed-phase hydrogenated amorphous/nanocrystalline silicon thin films

2013 ◽  
Vol 113 (23) ◽  
pp. 233707 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. R. Wienkes ◽  
C. Blackwell ◽  
T. Hutchinson ◽  
J. Kakalios
2010 ◽  
Vol 1245 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Kakalios ◽  
Yves Adjallah ◽  
Charlie Blackwell

AbstractThe Seebeck coefficient and dark conductivity for undoped, and n-type doped thin film hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H), and mixed-phase films with silicon nanocrystalline inclusions (a/nc-Si:H) are reported. For both undoped a-Si:H and undoped a/nc-Si:H films, the dark conductivity is enhanced by the addition of silicon nanocrystals. The thermopower of the undoped a/nc-Si:H has a lower Seebeck coefficient, and similar temperature dependence, to that observed for undoped a-Si:H. In contrast, the addition of nanoparticles in doped a/nc-Si:H thin films leads to a negative Seebeck coefficient (consistent with n-type doping) with a positive temperature dependence, that is, the Seebeck coefficient becomes larger at higher temperatures. The temperature dependence of the thermopower of the doped a/nc-Si:H is similar to that observed in unhydrogenated a-Si grown by sputtering or following high-temperature annealing of a-Si:H, suggesting that charge transport may occur via hopping in these materials.


Silicon ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jhuma Gope ◽  
Sushil Kumar ◽  
Sukhbir Singh ◽  
C. M. S. Rauthan ◽  
P. C. Srivastava

2010 ◽  
Vol 17 (03) ◽  
pp. 283-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
SANG-OK KIM ◽  
ALIAKSANDR KHODIN ◽  
JOONG KEE LEE

Hydrogenated amorphous and nanocrystalline silicon thin films were grown on porous anodic alumina substrates using electron cyclotron resonance-chemical vapor deposition technique from argon, hydrogen and silane gas composition. The structural characterization of the deposited hydrogenated silicon films were performed by scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction studies. The results revealed that mixed amorphous/nanocrystalline silicon phases with specific novel morphology were obtained on textured surfaces. The evolution of the film on ripple-like surface exhibited amorphous dominant structure, however, the film deposited on tipped/ribbed surface consisted of amorphous and nanocrystalline phases composite. The growth process strongly depends on the textured substrate pattern, which influences on the nanostructure shapes and crystallinity.


2003 ◽  
Vol 762 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. J. Belich ◽  
S. Thompson ◽  
C.R. Perrey ◽  
U. Kortshagen ◽  
C.B. Carter ◽  
...  

AbstractThin films of hydrogenated amorphous silicon containing nanocrystalline silicon inclusions (a/nc-Si:H) have been synthesized in an RF capacitively coupled PECVD system using a mixture of hydrogen diluted silane and helium, under deposition conditions at the edge of powder formation within the plasma. High resolution TEM confirms the presence of nanocrystallites as small as 2 nm in these films. Measurements of the optical absorption spectrum using CPM and PDS indicates a broadening of the Urbach slope in the a/nc-Si:H, compared to a-Si:H films, but no appreciable increase in midgap absorption. Despite the deposition conditions for the a/nc-Si:H being very different from those associated with producing optimal quality a-Si:H, the dark conductivity and photoconductivity values, and the sensitivity to light-induced defect creation in the a/nc-Si:H films are comparable to those in a-Si:H.


2008 ◽  
Vol 1066 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Adjallah ◽  
C. Blackwell ◽  
C. Anderson ◽  
U. Kortshagen ◽  
J. Kakalios

ABSTRACTMixed-phase hydrogenated amorphous silicon thin films containing nanocrystalline silicon inclusions have been synthesized in a dual chamber co-deposition system. A PECVD deposition system produces small crystalline silicon particles (3-5 nm diameter) in a flow-through reactor, and injects these particles into a separate capacitively-coupled plasma chamber in which hydrogenated amorphous silicon is deposited. Raman spectroscopy is used to determine the volume fraction of nanocrystals in the mixed phase thin films, while infra-red spectroscopy characterizes the hydrogen bonding structure as a function of nanocrystalline concentration. At a moderate concentration of 5 nm silicon crystallites, the dark conductivity and photoconductivity are consistently found to be higher than in mixed phase films with either lower or higher densities of nanocrystalline inclusions.


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