Exponential absorption edge in hydrogenated α-Si films

Optical and photoelectric measurements demonstrate that hydrogenated amorphous silicon prepared by glow discharge decomposition of silane has an exponential optical absorption edge, over the photon energy range 1.4–1.8 eV with a slope of 0.05–0.08 eV. Evidence is presented that the photogeneration efficiency is unity at room temperature and independent of electric field (10²?10⁴ V/cm^?1) and photon energy (1.2–2.2 eV).     

Reflectivity modification of polymethylmethacrylate by silicon ion implantation

The effect of silicon ion implantation on the optical reflection of bulk polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) was examined in the visible and near UV. A low-energy (30 and 50 keV) Si⁺ beam at fluences in the range from 10¹³ to 10¹⁷ cm⁻² was used for ion implantation of PMMA. The results show that a significant enhancement of the reflectivity from Si⁺-implanted PMMA occurs at appropriate implantation energy and fluence. The structural modifications of PMMA by the silicon ion implantation were characterized by means of photoluminescence and Raman spectroscopy. Formation of hydrogenated amorphous carbon (HAC) layer beneath the surface of the samples was established and the corresponding HAC domain size was estimated.     

Optical absorption in PECVD deposited thin hydrogenated silicon in light of ordering effects

We report results obtained from measurements of optical transmittance spectra carried out on a series of silicon thin films deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) from silane diluted with hydrogen. Hydrogen dilution of silane results in an inhomogeneous growth during which the material evolves from amorphous hydrogenated silicon (a-Si:H) to microcrystalline hydrogenated silicon (μc-Si:H). Spectral refractive indices and absorption coefficients were determined from transmittance spectra. The spectral absorption coefficients were used to determine the Tauc optical band gap energy, the B factor of the Tauc plots, E ₀₄ (energy at which the absorption coefficient is equal to 10⁴ cm⁻¹), and the Urbach energy as a function of the hydrogen dilution. The results were correlated with microstructure, namely volume fractions of the amorphous and crystalline phase with voids, and with the grain size.      

Evolution of infrared spectra and optical emission spectra in hydrogenated silicon thin films prepared by VHF-PECVD

A series of hydrogenated silicon thin films with varying silane concentrations have been deposited by using very high frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (VHF-PECVD) method. The deposition process and the silicon thin films are studied by using optical emission spectroscopy (OES) and Fourier transfer infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, respectively. The results show that when the silane concentration changes from 10% to 1%, the peak frequency of the Si—H stretching mode shifts from 2000 cm ^{- 1} to 2100 cm ^{- 1}, while the peak frequency of the Si—H wagging—rocking mode shifts from 650 cm ^{- 1} to 620 cm ^{- 1}. At the same time the SiH^*/H_α intensity ratio in the plasma decreases gradually. The evolution of the infrared spectra and the optical emission spectra demonstrates a morphological phase transition from amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) to microcrystalline silicon (μc-Si:H). The structural evolution and the μc-Si:H formation have been analyzed based on the variation of H_α and SiH^* intensities in the plasma. The role of oxygen impurity during the plasma process and in the silicon films is also discussed in this study.     

Effect of α-irradiation of energy 0.5 MeV on the hydrogen bonding in a-Si:H thin films

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon thin films (a-Si:H) have been prepared by the rf glow discharge technique. The configuration of bonded hydrogen was investigated by infrared absorption measurements of Si:H vibrational modes before and after bombardment with an α-particle beam energy of 125 keV/n. The results showed an increase in the absorption mode near 2100, 890 and 850 cm^?1 and a decrease in the absorption mode near 2000 cm^?1 after bombardment. These observations are interpreted in terms of changes of the oscillator strengths of vibrational modes.     

The influence of argon ion bombardment on the electrical and optical properties of clean silicon surfaces

The effect of low energy noble gas ion bombardment on the electrical and optical properties of Si(211) surfaces has been investigated by surface conductivity and field effect measurements, ellipsometry and AES. With this combination of techniques, information is obtained concerning the electrical properties, the chemical composition and the damage of the surface layer. Upon ion bombardment in the energy range of 500–2000 eV, ellipsometry shows the formation of a damaged surface layer with optical properties close to those of an evaporated amorphous silicon film. In order to measure the conductivity changes as sensitive as possible, nearly intrinsic silicon crystals were used. For the clean, 5200 Ω cm Si(211) surface, bombarded only with a mass-analyzed argon ion beam, a small increase in conductivity is found to occur after a small ion dose (saturation after 5 × 10¹⁴ ions cm^?2 while after 5 × 10¹³ ions cm^?2 already half of the increase has occurred). The effect was found to be independent of ion energy between 500 and 2000 eV. As the field effect signal did not change after this treatment, it is concluded that the surface state density in the neighbourhood of the Fermi level shows a slight decrease.     

Extremely low surface recombination in 1 Ω cm n‐type monocrystalline silicon

A key requirement in the recent development of highly efficient silicon solar cells is the outstanding passivation of their surfaces. In this work, plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition of a triple layer dielectric consisting of amorphous silicon, silicon oxide and silicon nitride, charged extrinsically using corona, has been used to demonstrate extremely low surface recombination. Assuming Richter's parametrisation for bulk lifetime, an effective surface recombination velocity S_eff = 0.1 cm/s at Δn = 10¹⁵ cm^–3 has been obtained for planar, float zone, n ‐type, 1 Ω cm silicon. This equates to a saturation current density J_0s = 0.3 fA/cm², and a 1‐sun implied open‐circuit voltage of 738 mV. These surface recombination parameters are among the lowest reported for 1 Ω cm c‐Si. A combination of impedance spectroscopy and corona‐lifetime measurements shows that the outstanding chemical passivation is due to the small hole capture cross section for states at the interface between the Si and a‐Si layer which are hydrogenated during nitride deposition. (© 2016 The Authors. Phys. Status Solidi RRL published by WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Hydrogen-plasma etching of hydrogenated amorphous silicon: a study by a combination of spectroscopic ellipsometry and trap-limited diffusion model

The kinetics of etching hydrogenated amorphous silicon by a hydrogen plasma has been studied by in-situ spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements. The formation of a hydrogen-rich sublayer is clearly emphasized. Its thickness increases from 7 to 27?nm when the temperature during the hydrogen-plasma treatment is raised from 100 to 250°C. This effect is interpreted by solving the differential equation for trap-limited hydrogen diffusion through a mobile surface. By assigning the thickness of this sublayer to the mean diffusion distance of hydrogen we determined values of the effective diffusion coefficient of hydrogen higher than 10^?14?cm²s^?1 with an activation energy of 0.22?eV. The density of hydrogen traps is found to decrease from 7.3 × 10¹⁸ to 4.5 × 10¹⁷?cm^?3 as the temperature of the hydrogen treatment increases from 100 to 250°C with an activation energy of 0.43?eV. This effect is interpreted by a thermal equilibrium involving hydrogen transitions between shallow states and hydrogen-trapping sites.     

Theoretical study of intrinsic surface phonons in hydrogenated amorphous silicon

The extra-mode at 214 cm^-1 which is observed in the infrared spectrum of hydrogenated amorphous silicon is interpreted as being due to the presence of small (? 7 atoms) internal surfaces in the samples. Calculations of the phonon density of states at internal surfaces in bulk Si Bethe lattices show a pronounced peak at the edge of the TA band (≈ 210 cm^-1. It is shown that when hydrogen is present the mode is infrared active through a dynamical charge transfer mechanism.     

The study of ion mixed amorphous carbon films on single crystal silicon by C ion implantation

Amorphous-carbon (a-C) films were deposited on a single-crystal silicon substrate by vacuum vapor deposition system and these amorphous carbon films were implanted with 110 keV C⁺ at fluences of 1 × 10¹⁷ ions/cm². The effect of ion mixing on the surface morphology, friction behavior and adhesion strengths of amorphous carbon films was examined making use of atomic force microscopy (AFM), ball-on-disk reciprocating friction tester, nano-indentation system and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The changes in chemical composition and structure were investigated by using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results show that the anti-wear life and adhesion of amorphous carbon films on the Si substrates were significantly increased by C ion implantation. The SiC chemical bonding across the interface plays a key role in the increase of adhesion strength and the anti-wear life of amorphous carbon film. The friction and wear mechanisms of amorphous carbon film under dry friction condition were also discussed.     

Photoconductivity of amorphous semiconductors

An analysis of photoconductivity is presented for a material with a carrier mobility which decreases as a power law with time. We calculate the steady state and transient response, and show that the model applies to hydrogenated amorphous silicon and other amorphous semiconductors. In a-Si:H the effective mobility is obtained from 10^?6 to 1 sec. The recombination is of bimolecular type and the carrier density is almost independent of excitation intensity.     

488 nm连续激光晶化本征非晶硅薄膜的喇曼光谱研究

利用等离子增强化学气相沉积系统制备了本征非晶硅薄膜,并选用488 nm波长的连续激光进行晶化.采用喇曼测试技术对本征非晶硅薄膜在不同激光功率密度和扫描时间下的晶化状态进行了表征,并用514 nm波长与488 nm波长对样品的晶化效果进行了比较.测试结果显示:激光照射时间60 s, 激光功率密度在1.57×10⁵ W/cm²时,能实现非晶硅向多晶硅的转变,在功率密度达到2.7 56×10⁵ W/cm²时,有非晶开始向单晶转变,随着激光功率密度的继续增加,晶化结果仍为单晶;在功率密度为2.362×10⁵ W/cm²下,60 s照射时间晶化效果较好;在功率密度为2.756×10⁵ W/cm²和照射时间为60 s的条件下,用488 nm波长比514 nm波长的激光晶化本征非晶硅薄膜效果较好,并均为单晶态.     

In situ ellipsometric characterization and process control for amorphous thin film deposition

Characterization of the growth of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) and carbon (a-C:H) thin films by in situ ellipsometric analysis at 3.4 eV and 3.2 eV is reported. For a-Si:H, prepared on metal substrates from an rf discharge of SiH₄, in situ ellipsometry data are strongly influenced by the SiSi bond packing density in the growing film. Deviations in the data from model calculations assuming a thickness independent a-Si:H dielectric function, when analyzed using an effective medium approximation, reveal the geometry and scale of the initial nucleation process. Effects of the deposition conditions and substrate microstructure on the coalescence of initial nuclei are understood on the basis of new measurements. For a-C:H, prepared on c-Si substrates from CH₄ by direct ion beam deposition, ellipsometry measurements in the initial stages of growth provide monolayer sensitivity to the formation of an absorbing SiC_x layer at the substrate interface. Fits to the data in the later stages of growth establish the real and imaginary parts of the bulk dielectric function at 3.2 eV, allowing real time categorization of the nature of the bonding in such films.     

Deposition of silicon–carbon coatings from the plasma of a non-self-sustained arc discharge with a heated cathode

Amorphous hydrogenated carbon doped with silicon oxide (a-C:H:Si:O), which is referred to as silicon–carbon coatings in this work, consists of thin amorphous films, which are used as commercial solid lubricants due to their higher stability under extreme environmental conditions as compared to amorphous hydrogenated carbon. The deposition of silicon–carbon coatings from the plasma of a non-self-sustained arc discharge with a heated cathode is considered. Silicon–carbon coatings are deposited using polyphenul methylsiloxane as a precursor at a flow rate of 0.05 mL/min in an argon atmosphere at a pressure of 0.1 Pa. A high-frequency power supply is used to apply a high-frequency bias voltage to a substrate during deposition. After deposition, the mechanical properties of the coatings are studied. The maximum hardness of the coating is 20 GPa at a minimum friction coefficient of 0.16 and a wear rate of 1.3 × 10^–5 mm³ N^–1 m^–1. Energy dispersive analysis shows that the coatings contain a significant content of carbon and oxygen (about 80 and 15%, respectively) and a low content of silicon (about 5%).     

Nitrogen doping in hydrogenated amorphous silicon

A direct evidence of substitutional doping in ion beam deposited amorphous hydrogenated silicon by nitrogen is presented. From the analysis of infrared (IR) absorption spectra and Si-2p core level shape, measured with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), the preferential tendency of nitrogen to go in for three-fold coordination at higher concentration and tetrahedral bonding at lower concentration (⩽4 at %) is established. XPS technique has been used for the first time to deduce the upper limit for substitutional solid solubility of the impurity.     

High rate primary ion beam deposition of a-Si:H films

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon films have been prepared by primary ion beam deposition with a new electrodeless rf ion source. The design of the ion source is described. The composition of the a-Si:H films has been determined by Rutherford backscattering, and the photoconductivity by the constant photocurrent method (CPM). The best a-Si:H films show photoconductivities of 5×10^–5 ( cm)^–1. The deposition rates were between 0.7 and 1.2 nm s^–1.     

Ordering of the structure of hydrogenated silicon films under the influence of laser radiation

A study is reported of the crystallization of amorphous hydrogenated silicon films under the influence continuous radiation from an argon laser. The structure was investigated by Raman scattering of light. The radiation power density during the annealing process was 1.5–4.5 kW/cm² and the exposure was 1/125 sec. The Raman spectra were recorded for power densities below 0.1 kW/cm². The power density threshold for the appearance of crystallites was found to be 3.0 kW/cm². The phonon localization model was used to show that the size of the crystallites produced for power densities of 3 kW/cm² was 40 Å.     

Enhancement of oxygen adsorption on silicon following electron irradiation

While electron-stimulated adsorption of oxygen on silicon during electron irradiation is well known, we here report enhanced adsorption of oxygen on both crystalline and hydrogenated amorphous silicon following electron irradiation. The adsorption enhancement is proportional to the energy dissipation at the irradiated surface, and thus is inversely related to the beam energy. Electronic excitation processes are thought to cause bonding changes and thus enhanced adsorption.     

Microstructure of hydrogenated silicon thin films prepared from silane diluted with hydrogen

We report results obtained from FTIR and TEM measurements carried out on silicon thin films deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) from silane diluted with hydrogen. The hydrogen content, the microstructure factor, the mass density and the volume per Si-H vibrating dipoles were determined as a function of the hydrogen dilution. Hydrogen dilution of silane results in an inhomogeneous growth during which the material evolves from amorphous hydrogenated silicon (a-Si:H) to microcrystalline hydrogenated silicon (μc-Si:H). With increasing dilution the transition from amorphous to microcrystalline phase appears faster and the average mass density of the films decreases. The μc-Si:H films are mixed-phase void-rich materials with changing triphasic volume fractions of crystalline and amorphous phases and voids. Different bonding configurations of vibrating Si-H dipoles were observed in the a-Si:H and μc-Si:H. The bonding of hydrogen to silicon in the void- and vacancy-dominated mechanisms of network formation is discussed.     

Effects of silicon negative ion implantation in semi-insulating gallium arsenide

ABSTRACT

In the present work, effects of silicon negative ion implantation into semi-insulating gallium arsenide (GaAs) samples with fluences varying between 1?×?10¹⁵ and 4?×?10¹⁷?ions?cm^?2 at 100?keV have been described. Atomic force microscopic images obtained from samples implanted with fluence up to 1?×?10¹⁷?ion?cm^?2 showed the formation of GaAs clusters on the surface of the sample. The shape, size and density of these clusters were found to depend on ion fluence. Whereas sample implanted at higher fluence of 4?×?10¹⁷?ions?cm^?2 showed bump of arbitrary shapes due to cumulative effect of multiple silicon ion impact with GaAs on the same place. GXRD study revealed formation of silicon crystallites in the gallium arsenide sample after implantation. The silicon crystallite size estimated from the full width at half maxima of silicon (111) XRD peak using Debye-Scherrer formula was found to vary between 1.72 and 1.87?nm with respect to ion fluence. Hall measurement revealed the formation of n-type layer in gallium arsenide samples. The current–voltage measurement of the sample implanted with different fluences exhibited the diode like behavior.