Defect levels in the band gap of amorphous selenium

Energy locations in the band gap have been determined for the thermally accessible levels of the negative-U defect centers in amorphous selenium. Both the temperature dependence of the steady-state photocurrents, and an analysis of emission currents in the post-transit regime of a time-of-flight transient photoconductivity experiment on the same samples, agree on the presence of defect levels at (0.42 ± 0.04) eV above the valence band mobility edge and (0.53 ± 0.06) eV below the conduction band. Both measured current levels and the resolved energy positions of the defects are subject to the Poole-Frenkel effect.     

On the change of low-temperature thermal conductivity of gap after bending

The thermal conduction of a sulphur-doped single crystal plastically deformed by bending at 963 K was measured between 2 and 50 K. The thermal resistivity W at temperatures > 14 K is practically independent on deformation. At lower temperatures W is found to be proportional to AT⁻³ before and to AT⁻³ + BT⁻² after deformation. A is due to boundary scattering, B due to dislocations.     

Fluctuation effects in impurity band formation

A concept of “pseudo-wave number” is introduced to describe the nature of electronic states in disordered crystals. In one dimension, the formation of an impurity band is interpreted as a growth of a pole of localized mode due to one impurity to a finite, measurable, closed contour in the complex wave number plane. Several formulas about the density of states, the correlation functions, and the transition probabilities related to the localization problem are given. An improvement of the impurity band density-of-states which includes potential fluctuations due to pairing is obtained.     

Investigation of optical band gap in potassium acid phthalate single crystal

Optical absorption in photonic crystals of potassium acid phthalate has been measured at room temperature, from which the band gap has been determined and the optical band gap was calculated by using absorption spectrum. The analysis of absorption coefficient in the absorption region reveals a direct band gap of 3.70 eV. Further this study includes the theoretical calculations to determine the optical constant of the material and a technique for photonic band gap tuning which is minimally required to develop the optoelectronic device. It was confirmed that potassium acid phthalate crystal has maximum transparency in the entire visible region and hence it exhibits industrial application oriented properties. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Optical band gap and refractive index dispersion parameters of In-Se-Te amorphous films

Different compositions of In_x(Se_0.75Te_0.25)_100 − x (where 0 ≤ x ≤ 10 at.%) chalcogenide glasses were prepared by the usual melt quench technique. Chalcogenide thin films of these glasses were prepared by using thermal evaporation method. The film transmittance (T(λ)) at normal incidence for these films was measured in the wavelength range 400-2500 nm using a double beam spectrophotometer. Successfully applying Swanepoel's method helps us to determine the film thickness and the real (n) and imaginary (k) parts of the complex index of refraction with high accuracy. Optical absorption measurements show that, the fundamental absorption is due to the allowed non-direct transitions. It was found that, the addition of In content leads to the increase of the refractive index increases while the optical band gap decreases. The obtained results are well discussed in terms of the chemical bond approach and the cohesive energy.     

Optical band gap of semiconductive type II Si clathrate purified by centrifugation

The optical properties of Si clathrate, which is believed to have potential as a new Si-based material for optical devices, were investigated in this study. Si clathrates with type II structure (Na_xSi₁₃₆) with low Na content (x = 1.3, 2.0) were synthesized by thermal decomposition of NaSi. The synthesized samples were purified by centrifugation using a solution of CH₂Br₂–C₂Cl₄ to remove impurities. Using the obtained high purity samples (Na_1.3Si₁₃₆, 93 wt.%; Na_2.0Si₁₃₆, 90 wt.%), the optical absorption spectra of Na_xSi₁₃₆ were clarified, for the first time, from diffuse reflection measurements. The inclusion of Na in Si₁₃₆ was found to cause free carrier absorption in the infrared region but had little effect on the fundamental absorption edge found in the visible region.     

X-Ray topographic study of the influence of thermal annealing on the bending of 49BF2+-implanted Si wafers

The influence of thermal annealing on the image contrast of the boundaries of ⁴⁹BF₂⁺-implanted regions in Si is investigated by means of X-ray topography. The contrast is used for studying the wafer bending and the stress types. It is shown that the final state of deformation is determined by: (1) the expansion of the surface layer caused by the implantation, (2) the contraction of this layer caused by the annealing. Effect (1) or (2) dominates depending on the implantation dose and annealing conditions. The possibility of compensating both effects leading to complete elimination of the bending of the implanted wafers is established. The results are discussed on the basis of the correlation between the deformation state of the wafers and the percentage B atoms occupying substitutionally Si-lattice sites.     

Refractive index,band gap and oscillator parameters of amorphous GaSe thin films

GaSe thin films are obtained by evaporating GaSe crystals onto ultrasonically cleaned glass substrates kept at room temperature under a pressure of ∼10^–5 Torr. The X‐ray analysis revealed that these films are of amorphous nature. The reflectance and transmittance of the films are measured in the incident photon energy range of 1.1–3.0 eV. The absorption coefficient spectral analysis revealed the existence of long and wide band tails of the localized states in the low absorption region. The band tails width is calculated to be 0.42 eV. The analysis of the absorption coefficient in the high absorption region revealed an indirect forbidden band gap of 1.93 eV. The transmittance analysis in the incidence photon wavelength range of 500–1100 nm allowed the determination of refractive index as function of wave length. The refractive index–wavelength variation leads to the determination of dispersion and oscillator energies as 31.23 and 3.90 eV, respectively. The static refractive index and static dielectric constant were also calculated as a result of the later data and found to be 9.0 and 3.0, respectively. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Growth and energy band gap of CaSeS thin films prepared by hot-wall epitaxy

This paper investigates preparation of CaSeS thin films using hot-wall epitaxy. These films can be grown epitaxially on cleaved BaF₂(1 1 1) at a substrate temperature of 873 K by tailoring the VI/II flux ratio vaporized from Ca and SeS resources. The optical absorption edge of these films thus tailored can be observed clearly, shifting toward higher photon energy with increasing S content. In particular, the energy band gap of CaSe_0.66S_0.34, capable of lattice-matching to InP was found to be 4.69 eV, producing considerably large band gap difference of 3.34 eV between the CaSe_0.66S_0.34 and InP.     

Optical band gap of zinc nitride films prepared by reactive rf magnetron sputtering

Polycrystalline Zn₃N₂ films are prepared on Si and quartz glass substrates by RF magnetron sputtering at room temperature. The structural and optical properties are studied by X‐ray diffraction and double beam spectrophotometer, respectively. X‐ray diffraction indicates that the Zn₃N₂ films deposited on Si and quartz glass substrates both have a preferred orientation in (321) and (442), also are cubic in structure with the lattice constant a=0.9847 and 0.9783 nm, respectively. The absorption coefficients as well as the film thickness are calculated from the transmission spectra, and their dependence on photon energy is examined to determine the optical band gap. Zn₃N₂ is determined to be an indirect‐gap semiconductor with the band gap of 2.11(2) eV. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Modulated photoconductivity method for investigation of band gap states distribution in silicon-based thin films

It has been demonstrated that the well known modulated photocurrent technique can be modified to escape imperfect data in intrinsic parameters of amorphous and microcrystalline silicon films and to simplify measurements of the density of localized states distribution in the band gaps of these semiconductors. The information on the density-of-states distribution can be extracted from temperature dependence measurements of the constant and modulated components of the photoconductivity in the film illuminated by the light modulated with some selected frequencies. The modified method has been applied to microcrystalline hydrogenated silicon films with n- and p-type conduction. The study has demonstrated that the tail of the density-of-states distribution near the valence band of microcrystalline hydrogenated silicon is less steep than that near the conduction band.     

Thermo-mechanical load capacity and deformation onset of silicon wafers during the high-temperature process

The plastic deformations occurring during technological high-temperature treatment of silicon wafers are discussed and are simulated experimentally by means of static loading. From the results obtained a critical stress-time product is derived which can be used for a quantitative estimate of the maximum permissible load of the wafer during heating and cooling treatments in technological processes.     

Slip band growth and dislocation velocities in thin flat crystals of n-irradiated Cu and Cu-30% Zn

Extending earlier work (POTTHOFF ) the dependence of the arrangement and development of slip bands on the thickness of thin flat single crystals of neutron-irradiated copper and Cu-30% Zn orientated for singe glide is studied at room temperature. Distinct differences in the behaviour of thin (20 … 200 μm thickness) and thick (≧ 500 μm thickness) crystals are found. Partly they are connected with the bending stresses in the region of the Lüders band front. The velocities of dislocation groups in the first stages of slip band growth are estimated. The deformation kinetics is discussed in the concepts of viscous glide and nucleation rate of dislocations for both materials.     

Electronic transport properties of low band gap a-SiGe:H alloys prepared by PECVD technique

The electronic transport properties of a-(Si,Ge):H alloys across the range of Ge content (0-40%) grown using PECVD technique have been investigated in detail by employing the microwave photomixing technique. Strong evidence for the existence of long-range potential fluctuations in a-(Si,Ge):H alloys has been found from the measurements of electric field dependence of the drift mobility. It was observed that the film transport properties degrade monotonically with increasing Ge content, where the strongest potential fluctuations occur as a result of a significant increase in the charged defect density. The potential fluctuations whose effect is enhanced by adding Ge to the alloy system result in deterioration of the transport properties of a-(Si,Ge):H alloys. Our present results demonstrate that the increased charged scattering centers and compositional disorder upon adding Ge to the alloys play an important role in the potential fluctuations.     

Effect of the hydrogen content on optical band gap in a-Si:H:N

The effect of the hydrogen content on the optical band gap in glow discharge a-Si:H:N produced from SiH₄ and N₂ mixtures is demonstrated. The hydrogen content in the film can be well controlled by making a non-plasma-excited region above the substrate surface during deposition. When the concentration of hydrogen is high, a large amount of nitrogen atoms included in the film does not cause a widening of the optical band gap. The effects of the hydrogen content on the infrared absorption peak wavelength relevant to SiN lattice vibration and the optical band gap are discussed.     

Optical constants and band gap expansion of size controlled silicon nanocrystals embedded in SiO2 matrix

Silicon nanocrystals (Si-NCs) with different sizes embedded in SiO₂ matrix were synthesized by phase separation and thermal crystallization of SiO_x/SiO₂ supperlattice approach. The optical constants and band gap expansion of Si-NCs have been investigated by spectroscopic ellipsometry, based on the Maxwell–Garnett effective medium approximation and the Forouhi–Bloomer optical dispersion model. Similar spectra shapes but smaller values of Si-NCs optical constants with respect to bulk crystalline Si is observed. With the size of Si-NCs decreasing from 6 nm to 2 nm, the band gap increases from 1.64 eV to 2.56 eV. The band gap expansion, as compared to bulk crystalline Si, which agrees with the prediction of first-principles calculations based on quantum confinement effect, is presented in this paper.     

Temperature‐tuned band gap energy and oscillator parameters of Tl2InGaSe4 semiconducting layered single crystals

The optical properties of Tl₂InGaSe₄ layered single crystals have been studied through the transmission and reflection measurements in the wavelength range of 500‐1100 nm. The analysis of room temperature absorption data revealed the presence of both optical indirect and direct transitions with band gap energies of 1.86 and 2.05 eV, respectively. Transmission measurements carried out in the temperature range of 10‐300 K revealed that the rate of change of the indirect band gap with temperature is γ = – 4.4 × 10^‐4 eV/K. The absolute zero value of the band gap energy was obtained as E_gi(0) = 1.95 eV. The dispersion of the refractive index is discussed in terms of the single oscillator model. The refractive index dispersion parameters: oscillator wavelength and strength were found to be 2.53 × 10^–7 m and 9.64 × 10¹³ m^–2, respectively. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Surface characterisation of wafers for silicon-heterojunction solar cells

Silicon-heterojunction cells represent a fast-growing, very promising field in photovoltaics. The key issues from the scientific and technological point of view are directly related to the quality of the junction interface (i.e., to that of the wafer surface just before thin-film deposition). The chemical purity of this surface and its dependence on HF chemical etching have been studied by XPS. Possible surface damage has been checked by SEM. Polished, rough and textured wafers have been tested. Textured samples have impurities derived from the previous pyramid-etching process. A brief (2 min) dipping in very diluted (only 1%) HF is enough to remove the 5-nm native-oxide layer. More aggressive treatments only increase surface reactivity. No surface damage is appreciated in the SEM images, not even in those of the samples etched with the highest concentrations and/or for the longest times.     

Gallium colloid formation during ion implantation of glass

Data are reported on the size and depth distribution of gallium colloids formed by gallium ion implantation at energies of 50 and 60 keV, and nominal doses up to 1.1 × 10¹⁷ ions/cm² into coverlip glass, float glass and white crown glass. Measurement techniques used to reveal colloid-induced changes include the wavelength dependence of optical reflectivity, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Rutherford backscattering (RBS). The reflectivity can be controlled by variations in ion dose, implant temperature and ion beam energy. The highest reflectivity is found after implants near 50°C and the level is extremely sensitive to the implant temperature. For controlled beam conditions, the reflectivity data are reproducible, despite there being variations in the colloid size and depth distributions as seen by TEM and RBS. The TEM data reveal that the depth distribution develops in two distinct regions, which at high concentration can precipitate into two layers of large colloids. Subsidiary experiments are reported to attempt to separate the effects of variations in the implant temperature and surface charging which influence the reflectivity, RBS and colloid formation.     

Mechanism of melilite formation during a sintering process

Solid solutions of melilite were produced by industrial raw materials (phosphorous furnace slag, dolomitic limestone and clay) at temperatures till 1200 K. At this solid state reaction different processes are participating. From the formation rate at constant temperature different processes were recognized by graphical analysis and explained by a mechanism of melilite formation. Some different temperatures were used. The investigations are used to produce a new ceramic material on the base of melilite.