Reduction of the Defect Density in a-Si:H Deposited at ≤250°C

1993 ◽  
Vol 297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hitoshi Nishio ◽  
Gautam Ganguly ◽  
Akihisa Matsuda

We present a method to reduce the defect density in hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) deposited at low substrate temperatures similar to those used for device fabrication . Film-growth precursors are energized by a heated mesh to enhance their surface diffusion coefficient and this enables them to saturate more surface dangling bonds.

1993 ◽  
Vol 297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jong-Hwan Yoon

In this paper we present a method to determine the annealable defect density(ΔNann) present in hydrogenated amorphous silicon(a-Si:H). The effects of the annealable defects on the light-induced defect generation rate, saturated defect density (Nsat) and the change of defect density in the light-induced saturated state(ΔNsat) have been studied. Annealable defect density was varied by depositing samples at various substrate temperatures or by post-growth anneals of samples grown at low substrate temperatures. It is found that the generation rate, N satand ΔNsat are well correlated with ΔNann. In particular, the ΔNsat is found to follow a relation ΔNsat ≈ ΔNann. These results suggest that defect-related microscopic models are appropriate for light-induced metastability.


1992 ◽  
Vol 258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gautam Ganguly ◽  
Akihisa Matsuda

ABSTRACTThe idea of surface mobility of growth precursors determined material quality has been exploited by raising the substrate temperature above the conventional 250°C and the ensuing thermal depletion of the surface hydrogen coverage compensated by increasing the precursor flux (deposition rate) to prepare ultra low defect density hydrogenated amorphous silicon.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
F. X. Abomo Abega ◽  
A. Teyou Ngoupo ◽  
J. M. B. Ndjaka

Numerical modelling is used to confirm experimental and theoretical work. The aim of this work is to present how to simulate ultrathin hydrogenated amorphous silicon- (a-Si:H-) based solar cells with a ITO BRL in their architectures. The results obtained in this study come from SCAPS-1D software. In the first step, the comparison between the J-V characteristics of simulation and experiment of the ultrathin a-Si:H-based solar cell is in agreement. Secondly, to explore the impact of certain properties of the solar cell, investigations focus on the study of the influence of the intrinsic layer and the buffer layer/absorber interface on the electrical parameters ( J SC , V OC , FF, and η ). The increase of the intrinsic layer thickness improves performance, while the bulk defect density of the intrinsic layer and the surface defect density of the buffer layer/ i -(a-Si:H) interface, respectively, in the ranges [109 cm-3, 1015 cm-3] and [1010 cm-2, 5 × 10 13  cm-2], do not affect the performance of the ultrathin a-Si:H-based solar cell. Analysis also shows that with approximately 1 μm thickness of the intrinsic layer, the optimum conversion efficiency is 12.71% ( J SC = 18.95   mA · c m − 2 , V OC = 0.973   V , and FF = 68.95 % ). This work presents a contribution to improving the performance of a-Si-based solar cells.


1991 ◽  
Vol 219 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Wynveen ◽  
J. Fan ◽  
J. Kakalios ◽  
J. Shinar

ABSTRACTStudies of r.f. sputter deposited hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) find that the light induced decrease in the dark conductivity and photoconductivity (the Staebler-Wronski effect) is reduced when the r.f. power used during deposition is increased. The slower Staebler-Wronski effect is not due to an increase in the initial defect density in the high r.f. power samples, but may result from either the lower hydrogen content or the smaller optical gap found in these films.


1994 ◽  
Vol 336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toshihiro Kamei ◽  
Nobuhiro Hata ◽  
Akihisa Matsuda

ABSTRACTEffects of intermittent deposition on the defect density in hydrogenated Amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) are investigated at various substrate temperatures by using a mechanical shutter, while maintaining the discharge continuously. The intermittent deposition experiments, where monolayer growth and intermission (waiting time) are repeated in cycles, enable us to study surface dangling bond (DB) recombination and thermal hydrogen desorption separately from other reactions on the growth surface. The defect density in films prepared at lower substrate temperatures decreases with the waiting time, while that deposited at higher substrate temperatures increases with the waiting time.


1999 ◽  
Vol 557 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. D. Webb ◽  
L. M. Gedvilas ◽  
R. S. Crandall ◽  
E. Iwaniczko ◽  
B. P. Nelson ◽  
...  

AbstractWe used polarized attenuated total reflection (ATR) measurements together with Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy to investigate the vibrational spectra of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-SiHx) films 0.5-1.0 microns in thickness. We deposited the films using hot-wire or plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition methods (HWCVD or PECVD, respectively) on crystalline silicon and cadmium telluride substrates. Our ATR technique gave a spectral range from 2100-400 cm-1, although the Si-H wagging mode absorption band at 640 cm-1 was somewhat distorted in the a-SiHx/Si samples by impurity and lattice absorption in the silicon ATR substrates. We report the identification of a Si-O-C impurity band with maximum intensity at 1240-1230 cm-1. The assignment of this band to a Si-O-C vibration is supported by secondary-ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) measurements. Our polarized FTIR-ATR spectra of HWCVD and PECVD a-SiHx films on <111> Si ATR substrates show that the impurity dipoles are oriented strongly parallel to the film growth direction. The wagging mode absorbance band is more intense in the film plane. This trend is less pronounced for the Si-H stretching vibrations. These observations are consistent with some degree of anisotropy or medium-range order in the films. The anisotropy in the Si-H bands may be related to residual stress in the films. Our scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses of the samples offer additional evidence of bulk structural anisotropy in the a-SiHx/Si films. However, the Si-O-C impurity band was not observed in the polarized ATR-FTIR spectra of the a-SiHx/CdTe samples, thus indicating that the Si substrates influence formation of the impurity in the a-SiHx/Si films.


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