Improving the stability of amorphous silicon ultraviolet sensors

In this paper we present an improved structure of an amorphous silicon/amorphous silicon carbide ultraviolet sensor, previously presented in literature, whose overall performances have been enhanced by growing a very thin layer of chromium silicide film on the top of the sensor. The sensor is a n-type amorphous silicon/intrinsic amorphous silicon/p-type amorphous silicon carbide stacked structure deposited on a glass substrate. The substrate is covered with a chromium film that acts as back metal contact. The top metal contact is a grid shaped chromium/aluminum/chromium metal stack that allows the incident radiation to reach the active p-type layer.The responses of two sets of sensors fabricated with and without the alloy film under ultraviolet radiation have been studied. The role of the very thin chromium silicide layer is to increase the conductivity of the top surface without attenuating the UV radiation absorbed in the device active layer. The increased top-surface conductivity ensures a better collection of the photogenerated carriers and hides the resistivity variation of the underlying p-doped layer under ultraviolet light caused by dopant activation, leading to a stable and linear behavior. Comparing the photocurrent values obtained on sensors with different area and distance between the grid electrodes, we found that the presence of the chromium silicide film extends the charge collection length by a factor of 10, allowing a better device photoresponse.     

Construction process and read-out electronics of amorphous silicon position detectors for multipoint alignment monitoring

We describe the construction process of large-area high-performance transparent amorphous silicon position detecting sensors. Details about the characteristics of the associated local electronic board (LEB), specially designed for these sensors, are given. In addition we report on the performance of a multipoint alignment monitoring application of 12 sensors in a 13 m long light path.     

Core/shell structured NaYF4:Yb3+/Er3+/Gd+3 nanorods with Au nanoparticles or shells for flexible amorphous silicon solar cells

A simple approach for preparing near-infrared (NIR) to visible upconversion (UC) NaYF4:Yb/Er/Gd nanorods in combination with gold nanostructures has been reported. The grown UC nanomaterials with Au nanostructures have been applied to flexible amorphous silicon solar cells on the steel substrates to investigate their responses to sub-bandgap infrared irradiation. Photocurrent–voltage measurements were performed on the solar cells. It was demonstrated that UC of NIR light led to a 16-fold to 72-fold improvement of the short-circuit current under 980 nm illumination compared to a cell without upconverters. A maximum current of 1.16 mA was obtained for the cell using UC nanorods coated with Au nanoparticles under 980 nm laser illumination. This result corresponds to an external quantum efficiency of 0.14% of the solar cell. Mechanisms of erbium luminescence in the grown UC nanorods were analyzed and discussed.     

In situ thickness control during plasma deposition of hydrogenated amorphous silicon films by time-resolved microwave conductivity measurements

Transient photoconductivity measurements have been performed in situ during plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition of amorphous hydrogenated silicon by a contactless method that uses the change of the microwave reflection after laser pulse illumination. Through the use of the interference pattern of the amplitude of the transients of microwave reflection during the layer growth, the actual thickness of the amorphous film can be determined. In the case of crystalline silicon substrates, the change in the light absorption in the substrate modified by the growth of the amorphous layer is measured directly. An example of the optimization of antireflective layers on crystalline silicon substrates is shown. A good agreement is found between the experimental data and calculations of optical reflection and transmission on the multilayer structures.     

Effect of implanted phosphorus ions on the crystallization of amorphous silicon films under the action of pulsed excimer laser radiation

We have studied the effect of implanted phosphorus ions on the crystallization of thin amorphous silicon films under the action of nanosecond radiation pulses of a XeCl excimer laser. The amorphous silicon films with a thickness of 90 nm, obtained by plasmachemical deposition on glass substrates, were implanted with phosphorus ions at a dose of 3 × 10¹⁴ and 3 × 10¹⁵ cm⁻². The subsequent laser treatments were performed using energies both above and below a threshold corresponding to the fusion of amorphous silicon. The structure of the silicon films was studied using Raman scattering spectroscopy. An analysis of the experimental data shows that implanted phosphorus stimulates nucleation, especially in the case of liquid phase crystallization. The results are of interest for the development of the technology of thin-film transistors on nonrefractory substrates.     

空芯光纤硅太阳能电池制备及光捕获研究

本文提出一种空芯光纤结构硅基太阳能电池,并探讨其制备方法和光捕获性能.依据平面电池受光原理和空芯波导的限光机制提出了空芯光纤硅基太阳能电池结构,采用卷曲柔性平面非晶硅薄膜电池制备出圆筒形空芯光纤硅电池.通过对比研究入射光量一定的条件下平面电池和空芯光纤电池的光生电流和电压值,评估空芯光纤电池的光捕获效果.通过测量不同光入射角度和光照强度下空芯光纤电池的光生电流和电压值,揭示光入射角度和光照强度对空芯光纤电池光捕获性能的影响关系.研究表明,空芯光纤硅基电池能将入射光线限制在波导结构内反复吸收和反射,从而在光捕获性能方面较平面电池有所提升(~19.8%).光线入射角度对空芯光纤电池的光捕获性能有较大影响,在30°~50°入射时可以获得较大的光生电压和电流值.在0~100 000 lux的光照强度范围内,光生电压先随光照度增加而增大,而后逐渐趋于恒定值.通过卷曲柔性平面硅电池获得光捕获效率较高的空芯光纤硅电池是可行的,采用结构简单、光线单次入射吸收较低的单节薄膜电池制备空芯光纤电池有望获得更好的光捕获效率提升效果.     

Conversion of short-wavelength electromagnetic radiation in SiO2 opal photonic crystals

Reflection spectra of the (111) growth surface of opal photonic crystals differing in silica sphere diameter have been measured under illumination with narrowband ultraviolet and violet light from a laser and light-emitting diodes and with broadband light from a halogen lamp. We have found narrow strong bands differing in spectral position from the light from the short-wavelength excitation sources. The spectral position of these bands corresponds to that of photonic band gaps and is independent of excitation wavelength. The silica sphere diameter has no effect on the shape of the reflection band, and its position always correlates with that of the band gap of the opal. The present results demonstrate that exposure of a photonic crystal to short-wavelength radiation leads to conversion of the radiation to the spectral range of the band gap. The microscopic mechanism of the conversion process may involve three-photon parametric processes and amplification of the broadband photoluminescence due to structural defects in the silica matrix. Our results open up the possibility of creating new types of optically pumped solid gain media based on opal photonic crystals.     

Correlation of structural and optoelectronic properties of thin film silicon prepared at the transition from microcrystalline to amorphous growth

Photovoltaic properties of 4 µm thick microcrystalline silicon p–i–n solar cells have been studied, over a range of crystallinity determined using Raman spectroscopy. Low-crystallinity material (below 10%) appears to absorb disproportionately strongly in the infrared, possibly due to increased light scattering or to relaxation of the crystal momentum selection rule. A minimum in solar cell efficiency is observed under AM1.5 illumination when V_OC ≈ 580 mV, with blue response most strongly affected. This is consistent with a reduction in electron mobility to a value below that of amorphous silicon for low-crystallinity material, in agreement with time-of-flight measurements.     

Surface plasmonic effect of nanoparticle-like silver nanostructure on the high responsivity of visible/infrared silver-based heterojunction photodetector

The fabrication of a silver (Ag) based photodetector on a silicon dioxide/p-silicon (SiO₂/p-Si) substrate using direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering is demonstrated. The proposed method deposits a nanoparticle-like Ag thin film that favours the photoconduction mechanism under light illumination at 468?nm and laser illumination at 660 and 980?nm. The thin film is characterized using scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive x-ray (EDX), x-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman scattering, photoluminescence (PL) and ultraviolet–visible (UV–VIS) analysis. Current–voltage (I–V) analysis and the calculated rectifying ratio (RR) suggests the establishment of good Schottky contacts for incident light/laser at 468, 660 and 980?nm, with good responsivity towards light and laser illumination in the forward and reverse DC bias regions. The responsivity increases as the wavelength decreases from 980?nm → 660?nm → 468?nm, with the highest responsivity of 213.7?mAW^?1 at 468?nm indicating better photoconduction at low light powers.     

TCAD simulations for thin film solar cells with nanoplate structures

The novel thin film solar cell with a nanoplate structure that can solve the conflict between the light absorption and the carrier transport in amorphous silicon thin film solar cell was investigated by TCAD simulations. This new structure has n-type amorphous silicon nanoplate array on the substrate, and p-type amorphous silicon-carbon as window layer and intrinsic amorphous silicon as absorption layer are sequentially grown along the surface of each n-type amorphous silicon nanoplate. Under AM 1.5 G sunlight illumination, the light is absorbed along the vertical direction of nanoplate while the carrier transport is along the horizontal direction. Therefore, nanoplate with the larger height can absorb most of the sunlight. The advantage of this novel structure is that the thickness of the solar cell can be used as thin as possible for effective transport of photo-generated carriers in comparison with the planer one.     

Nanocrystalline silicon films formed under the impact of pulsed excimer laser radiation on polyimide substrates

Polycrystalline silicon films on polyimide substrates were obtained by a method based on the crystallization of amorphous films under the impact of nanosecond pulses of excimer laser radiation. Characteristics of the film structure were studied by methods of Raman scattering and high-resolution electron microscopy. For the laser crystallization regimes employed, nanocrystalline silicon films with an average grain size of 5 nm were obtained. The results are of interest for the development of large-scale microelectronic devices (active thin-film transistor matrices) on cheap flexible substrates.     

Responses of simple optical standing wave sensors

Optical standing wave sensors have been manufactured by amorphous silicon deposition. The responses of these sensors, when subjected to standing waves, have been calculated and measured. It is shown that the responses are different depending on the way the standing wave is created. The responses also depend on the thickness and material properties of the layers used to create the sensors. Quantitative agreement between measurements and model calculations can be obtained by including alignment errors, incoherent light interaction and scaling factors. The simple construction of the sensors allows for a broad application range.     

TCAD studies of novel nanoplate amorphous silicon alloy thin-film solar cells

A novel nanoplate-structured thin-film solar cell was investigated that could solve the conflict between light absorption and carrier transport in a p-type amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC)/i-type amorphous silicon germanide (a-SiGe)/n-type amorphous silicon (a-Si) thin-film solar cell. This structure has an n-type a-Si nanoplate array on the substrate, a-SiC p-layer, and an a-SiGe i-layer which are sequentially grown along the surface of each n-type a-Si nanoplate. Under illumination by sunlight, light is absorbed along the vertical direction of the nanoplate, while the carrier transport is along the horizontal direction. The nanoplate structure may absorb most of the sunlight and provide a thinner film for the effective transport of photon-generated carriers as compared to the conventional planar structure.     

Photo-induced electrochemical anodization of p-type silicon: achievement and demonstration of long term surface stability

Surface stability is achieved and demonstrated by porous silicon (PS) fabricated using a wavelength-dependent photo-electrochemical (PEC) anodization technique. During anodization, the photon flux for all wavelengths was kept constant while only the effect of light wavelength on the surface morphology of PS was investigated. PS optical sensors were realized, characterized and tested using a photoluminescence (PL) quenching technique. An aliphatic chain of alcohols (methanol to n-octanol) was detected in the range of 10-200?ppm. Long term surface stability was observed from samples prepared under red (750-620?nm) and green illumination (570-495 nm), where the PL quenching cycles evoke the possibility of using PS for stable sensor device applications. This study provides a route for preparing highly sensitive organic vapour sensors with a precise selection of the fabrication parameters and demonstrating their prolonged performance.     

光照入射角对太阳能电池输出功率的影响

为了研究在自然条件下,光照入射角对太阳能电池实际输出功率的影响,对单晶硅、多晶硅和非晶硅太阳能电池进行了不同倾角和方位角的测试实验,得到了太阳能电池转换效率关于倾角和方位角的对应关系,并用转换效率的变化曲线分析和说明光照入射角对太阳能电池输出功率的影响.     

Improvement in the optoelectronic properties of a-SiO:H films

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon oxide (a-SiO:H) films prepared by rf plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) method have recently proved their potential as a photovoltaic material for the fabrication of high efficiency multijunction amorphous silicon solar cells. If deposited under proper conditions, it may be a better wide band gap material than the normally used a-SiC : H. In this paper we report the improvements achieved over the previously reported results. The films have been characterized in detail in terms of their optoelectronic properties, structural characteristics, defect density and light induced degradation.     

Design issues of two-dimensional amorphous silicon position-sensitive detectors

The two-dimensional amorphous silicon position-sensitive detector (PSD) is usually in the form of large-area, continuous p-i-n silicon layer structure coupled with resistive layers next to the p and n Si layers. The device has many applications (e.g. light position measurements, light-pen input devices, etc.) and can be fabricated by using low-cost PECVD process. When used as a light-pen-based input device, several material-related design issues must be critically considered for achieving acceptable performance. The present work addresses three important issues, namely the spectral response of PSD, the uniformity requirement of the resistive layers, and the design of optical filter on the input side of PSD. They correspond to the signal-to-noise ratio of the device, the accuracy of light-position determination, and the integration problem with liquid crystal displays (LCD), respectively. Analytical analysis and computer simulation results draw the following important conclusions: (1) red-light-sensitive PSD can be obtained by properly tuning the thickness of p-layer and i-layer, which suppress the interference of background light when using the input device under sun light or similar illumination (2) the spot size of input light has little effect on position determination, as long as the size does not differ too much from that of required resolution. And a conservative uniformity requirement for the resistive layers can be obtained as |Δh/h|≤4/n with n being the required number of pixels of display and h being the film thickness (3) multi-layered filters made of oxides can be deposited on PSD to reflect non-signal light for LCD display while preserving the input-signal when the PSD is placed under a TN LCD.     

Crystallization of amorphous hydrogenated silicon (<Emphasis Type="Italic">a</Emphasis>-Si:H) films under irradiation with femtosecond laser pulses

Crystallization of thin films of amorphous hydrogenated silicon under the irradiation of femtosecond laser pulses has been studied. It was found that the crystallization has a clearly pronounced threshold nature and depends on the laser emission wavelength. As shown the best results are achieved in crystallization at the laser wavelength range of 740–760 nm.     

激光作用下GeS2非晶半导体薄膜的性能及结构变化

采用514.5nm波长的氩离子激光器，结合X射线衍射分析（XRD）、红外光谱分析（IR）、扫描电镜分析（SEM）和透射光谱分析，研究了GeS2非晶半导体薄膜在激光辐照后的性能及结构变化。实验结果发现，经热处理和激光辐照后，薄膜的光学吸收边均移向短波长处，并且随着辐照激光强度和辐照时间的增加而增加，这种平移在退火薄膜中是可逆的。SEM结果分析表明，薄膜在激光辐照后有晶相出现，且随着辐照激光强度的增加，晶相更多。     

Gated three-terminal device architecture to eliminate persistent photoconductivity in oxide semiconductor photosensor arrays

The composition of amorphous oxide semiconductors, which are well known for their optical transparency, can be tailored to enhance their absorption and induce photoconductivity for irradiation with green, and shorter wavelength light. In principle, amorphous oxide semiconductor-based thin-film photoconductors could hence be applied as photosensors. However, their photoconductivity persists for hours after illumination has been removed, which severely degrades the response time and the frame rate of oxide-based sensor arrays. We have solved the problem of persistent photoconductivity (PPC) by developing a gated amorphous oxide semiconductor photo thin-film transistor (photo-TFT) that can provide direct control over the position of the Fermi level in the active layer. Applying a short-duration (10 ns) voltage pulse to these devices induces electron accumulation and accelerates their recombination with ionized oxygen vacancy sites, which are thought to cause PPC. We have integrated these photo-TFTs in a transparent active-matrix photosensor array that can be operated at high frame rates and that has potential applications in contact-free interactive displays.