Growth Processes of Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon

2000 ◽  
Vol 609 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Robertson
Keyword(s):  
Low Temperature ◽  
Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon ◽  
Dangling Bond ◽  
Surface Layers ◽  
Bond Density ◽  
Hydrogen Elimination ◽  
Type Process ◽  
Rate Limiting ◽  
Hydrogenated Amorphous ◽  
Pool Type

ABSTRACTThe surface and subsurface processes occurring during the growth of a-Si:H are analysed to understand why dangling bond defects and weak Si-Si bonds form. We argue that hydrogen elimination to form the Si-Si network is the rate limiting process at low temperature, and this leads to the creation of weak Si-Si bonds. Dangling bonds form subsequently from weak bonds by a defect pool type process. Plasma processes, such as ion bombardment, which dehydrogenate the surface layers, can reduce the weak bond density.

Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon Films Prepared by Mercury Sensitized Photochemical Vapor Deposition

1989 ◽  
Vol 149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takaaki Kamimura ◽  
Hidetoshi Nozaki ◽  
Naoshi Sakuma ◽  
Mitsuo Nakajima ◽  
Hiroshi Ito
Keyword(s):  
Amorphous Silicon ◽  
Deposition Rate ◽  
Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon ◽  
Gas Phase Reactions ◽  
Bond Density ◽  
Hydrogen Elimination ◽  
Photochemical Vapor Deposition ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Hydrogenated Amorphous ◽  
Activation Type

ABSTRACTHydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) films were prepared by mercury photosensitized decomposition of silane using a low-pressure mercury lamp. The deposition rate showed an activation type for substrate temperature (the activation energy: 0.13 eV), because the deposition rate would be determined by the rate of hydrogen elimination from the hydrogen saturated surface. Moreover, the relationship was found between the Si-H2 bond density in a- Si:H films and the gas phase reactions.

scholarly journals Material Parameters in a Thick Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon Detector and their Effect on Signal Collection

1989 ◽  
Vol 149 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Qureshi ◽  
V. Perez-Mendez ◽  
S. N. Kaplan ◽  
I. Fujieda ◽  
G. Cho
Keyword(s):  
Amorphous Silicon ◽  
Defect Density ◽  
Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon ◽  
Silicon Detector ◽  
Dangling Bond ◽  
Material Parameters ◽  
Bond Density ◽  
Transient Photoconductivity ◽  
Signal Collection ◽  
Hydrogenated Amorphous

ABSTRACTTransient photoconductivity and ESR measurements were done to relate the ionized dangling bond density and the spin density of thick hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) detectors. We found that only a fraction (∼30–35%) of the total defect density as measured by ESR is ionized when the detector is biased into deep depletion. The measurements on annealed samples also show that this fraction is about 0.3. An explanation based on the shift of the Fermi energy is given. The measurements show that the time dependence of relaxation is a stretched exponential.

Capacitance Studies of Light-Induced Effects in Undoped Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon

1985 ◽  
Vol 49 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Zellama ◽  
J.D. Cohen ◽  
J.P. Harbison
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Conductivity ◽  
Amorphous Silicon ◽  
Density Of States ◽  
Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon ◽  
Dangling Bond ◽  
Light Saturation ◽  
Band Tail ◽  
Bond Density ◽  
Induced Changes ◽  
Hydrogenated Amorphous

AbstractThe effects of light saturation on the properties of undoped a-Si:H films were studied by a new capacitance profiling technique which can be used to directly determine changes in the dangling bond density of states near midgap. Coplanar conductivity and capacitance vs. temperature measurements save the changes in activation energies for electrical conductivity. These studies indicate that, while substantial increases in the dangling bond densities are observed for most samples, the detailed behavior of the light induced changes in these films are inconsistent with the creation of such defects by breaking weak valence band tail states.

The Effect of Post-Deuteration on Metastability in a-Si:H

1993 ◽  
Vol 297 ◽  
Author(s):  
N.H. Nickel ◽  
W.B. Jackson ◽  
C.C. Tsai
Keyword(s):  
Defect Formation ◽  
Chemical Potential ◽  
Defect Density ◽  
Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon ◽  
Dangling Bond ◽  
Deuterium Plasma ◽  
Bond Density ◽  
Intense Light ◽  
Hydrogenated Amorphous ◽  
Metastable Defect

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon films were deuterated through a sequence of 1h exposures to a remote deuterium plasma at 350°C. The concentration profiles of hydrogen and deuterium were determined by SIMS at various times during the exposure sequence. The defect density in state A, after deuteration and after illumination with white light were determined using CPM measurements following each 1h exposure sequence. We find that post-deuteration does not alter the defect density in state A, change the Urbach edge, nor significantly alter metastable defect formation. Intense light soaking increases the defect density by about 5 × 10l6cm−3 independent of the total H + D concentration. These results suggest that D always enters the sample in pairs pinning the hydrogen chemical potential which supports the idea of a negative U system for hydrogen and deuterium. Despite an increase of Si-H bonds by as much as 3 × 1021cm−3, the annealed dangling bond density and the weak Si-Si bond density did not change.This suggests that the density of weak Si-Si bonds as well as the dangling bond density is determined by equilibration with strong Si-Si bonds through the interchange of H. The implications of these results for H bonding will be discussed.

Doping Mechanism in Tetrahedral Amorphous Carbon

1997 ◽  
Vol 498 ◽  
Author(s):  
C W Chen ◽  
J Robertson
Keyword(s):  
Amorphous Silicon ◽  
Amorphous Carbon ◽  
Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon ◽  
Donor Atom ◽  
Dangling Bond ◽  
Coulombic Repulsion ◽  
Tetrahedral Amorphous Carbon ◽  
Total Energies ◽  
Doping Mechanism ◽  
Hydrogenated Amorphous

ABSTRACTDoping in hydrogenated amorphous silicon occurs by a process of an ionised donor atom partially compensated by a charged dangling bond. The total energies of various dopant and dopant/bonding combinations are calculated for tetrahedral amorphous carbon. It is found that charged dangling bonds are less favoured because of the stronger Coulombic repulsion in ta-C. Instead the dopants can be compensated by weak bond states in the lower gap associated with odd-membered π-rings or odd-numbered π-chains. The effect is that the doping efficiency is low but there are not charged midgap recombination centres, to reduce photoconductivity or photoluminescence with doping, as occurs in a-Si:H.

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