Topography induced preferential crystallization of thermally grown silicon dioxide films

We have investigated the crystallization of the oxide layer that grows on a deposited silicon film in a high temperature furnace. The growth of large SiO₂ crystal grains can be controlled by interfacial stress or surface topography. When the Si film is deposited on topographically patterned surfaces, the SiO₂ grains are nucleated along the edges and extremities of the relief structure. A competition in which faster growing grains terminate slower growing grains results in an average growth direction perpendicular to the edges. Single crystal grains of α-cristobalite up to hundreds of microns in length can be grown in this fashion.     

激光波长对非晶硅薄膜晶化效果的影响

为研究波长对连续激光晶化非晶硅(a-Si) 薄膜过程的影响,利用连续Ar＋-Kr＋激光对a-Si薄膜晶 化,在5ms固定照射时间下,改变激光波长,采用拉曼光谱测试技术和场发射扫描电子显微 镜(SEM)研究在不同 激光功率密度下薄膜晶化后的特性。结果表明,a-Si薄膜的晶化阈值随着波长的 增大而增大,当波长为 458nm时薄膜晶化阈值为13.2kW/cm²,波长 为647nm时,晶化阈值为19.2kW/cm²;在激光功率密度范 围为0～27.1kW/cm²内,薄膜的最大晶化率受波长的影响相对较小 ,但总体也随着波长的增大而呈增大 趋势,当波长为647nm时,在激光功率密度26.5kW/cm²处,晶化率达到最大值75.85%。     

Steady state and transient photoconductivity in amorphous thin films of Se0.8Te0.2

The present paper reports on steady state and transient photoconductivity measurements in amorphous thin films of Se_0.8Te_0.2. The paper also reports the effect of crystallization on the photoconductive behaviour. The photosensitivity(I _ph /I _d ) reduces by a factor of 5 and the decay of photocurrent becomes much slower in the films annealed above the crystallization temperature (state B) as compared to the films annealed below the crystallization temperature (state A). A detailed analysis of the photoconductive decay in the state B shows that the recombination within localized states may be the predominant recombination mechanism in this state.     

多晶硅薄膜的新型激光晶体制备方法

采用两步激光晶化方法制备了多晶硅薄膜,其晶粒尺寸为１．１μｍ,比用传统单步晶化制备的薄膜晶粒尺寸大,表明该方法法对扩大晶粒尺寸很有效。拉曼光谱分析表明０．３０Ｊ／ｃｍ＾２晶化的薄膜结晶程度已很高。     

BF3-doped amorphous silicon thin films

BF₃ has been used as a p-type dopant in thin films of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H). The films were deposited in a capacitively coupled radio frequency (13.56 MHz) glow discharge system in which silane (SiH₄) was the principal gaseous component. The boron content in the films was measured by secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) using a calibrated boron-implanted silicon standard. The optical and transport properties of these films were measured and compared with films of similar boron film content deposited using B₂H₆ BF₃-doped films showed less sub-band gap absorption (as determined by photothermal deflection spectroscopy), no band gap narrowing, and higher conductivity prefactors σ_o for low doping levels compared to B₂H₆-doped films. The possible utility of lightly BF₃-doped a-Si:H as the i-layer in a p/i/n photovoltaic device is suggested.     

多晶硅薄膜的新型激光晶化制备方法

采用两步激光晶化方法制备了多晶硅薄膜 ,其晶粒尺寸为 1.1μm,比用传统单步晶化制备的薄膜晶粒尺寸大 ,表明该方法对扩大晶粒尺寸很有效。拉曼光谱分析表明 0 .30 J/ cm2晶化的薄膜结晶程度已很高     

Development of highly conducting n-type micro-crystalline silicon oxide thin film and its application in high efficiency amorphous silicon solar cell

Wide band gap and highly conducting n-type nano-crystalline silicon film can have multiple roles in thin film solar cell. We prepared phosphorus doped micro-crystalline silicon oxide films (n-μc-SiO:H) of varying crystalline volume fraction (X_c) and applied some of the selected films in device fabrication, so that it plays the roles of n-layer and back reflector in p-i-n type solar cells. It is generally understood that a higher hydrogen dilution is needed to prepare micro-crystalline silicon, but in case of the n-μc-SiO:H an optimized hydrogen dilution was found suitable for higher X_c. Observed X_c of these films mostly decreased with increased plasma power (for pressure<2.0 Torr), increased gas pressure, flow rate of oxygen source gas and flow rates of PH₃>0.08 sccm. In order to determine deposition conditions for optimized opto-electronic and structural characteristics of the n-μc-SiO:H film, the gas flow rates, plasma power, deposition pressure and substrate temperature were varied. In these films, the X_c, dark conductivity (σ_d) and activation energy (E_a) remained within the range of 0–50%, 3.5×10⁻¹⁰ S/cm to 9.1 S/cm and 0.71 eV to 0.02 eV, respectively. Low power (30 W) and optimized flow rates of H₂ (500 sccm), CO₂ (5 sccm), PH₃ (0.08 sccm) showed the best properties of the n-μc-SiO:H layers and an improved performance of a solar cell. The photovoltaic parameters of one of the cells were as follows, open circuit voltage (V_oc), short circuit current density (J_sc), fill-factor (FF), and photovoltaic conversion efficiency (η) were 950 mV, 15 mA/cm², 64.5% and 9.2% respectively.     

Effects of oxygen on crystallization of amorphous silicon films and polysilicon TFT characteristics

Oxygen ions were implanted into the amorphous silicon film deposited at 540°C in order to study the effects of oxygen on the solid phase crystallization of silicon films. The resulting films were investigated using transmission electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction (XRD), and also by measuring the electrical characteristics of polycrystalline silicon thin film transistors (TFTs) fabricated in the crystallized films. The development of {111} texture as a function of annealing time is similar to films implanted with Si, with higher oxygen samples showing more texture. Transmission electron microscopy shows that the grain size of completely crystallized films varies little with oxygen concentration. The electrical performances of TFTs are found to degrade with increasing oxygen dose. The trap state density increases from 5.6 × 10¹²/cm² to 9.5 × 10¹²/cm² with increasing oxygen dose. It is concluded that for a high performance TFT, oxygen incorporation in the Si film should be kept to 10¹⁹/cm³ or less.     

Study on thermal solid-phase crystallization of amorphous ZnO thin films stacked on vanadium-doped ZnO films

Thermal solid-phase crystallization (SPC) of an amorphous ZnO film stacked on a vanadium-doped ZnO (VZO) film was investigated. ZnO films were deposited on 30-nm-thick amorphous VZO films on c-face sapphire substrates at room temperature by RF magnetron sputtering. Stacked film was subsequently calcined at 800 °C in a nitrogen atmosphere. ZnO film grew in an amorphous state up to about 150-nm thick on the amorphous VZO film, but self-orientation occurred in a thicker layer. Any secondary phase such as Zn₂VO₄ was not formed in the case of total film thickness (t_total) ≥100 nm. V concentration decreased by thermal diffusion of V through the ZnO layer from the VZO film, and thereby the formation of secondary phase was effectively avoided. The amorphous ZnO layer was crystallized from highly-aligned initial thin layer of VZO film when t_total ≤200 nm and crystal orientation of the stacked film was superior to single VZO film. However, the c-axis orientation was deteriorated drastically at t_total ≈400 nm due to SPC affected by the tilted regions existed in the as-deposited ZnO film. Therefore, it is suggested that careful selection of ZnO film thickness is necessary to obtain the high-quality ZnO films in this method.     

Design of Ag nanograting for broadband absorption enhancement in amorphous silicon thin film solar cells

Light trapping is one of the key issues to improve the light absorption and increase the efficiency of thin film solar cells. The effects of the triangular Ag nanograting on the absorption of amorphous silicon solar cells were investigated by a numerical simulation based on the finite element method. The light absorption under different angle and area of the grating has been calculated. Furthermore, the light absorption with different incident angle has been calculated. The optimization results show that the absorption of the solar cell with triangular Ag nanograting structure and anti-reflection film is enhanced up to 96% under AM1.5 illumination in the 300–800 nm wavelength range compared with the reference cell. The physical mechanisms of absorption enhancement in different wavelength range have been discussed. Furthermore, the solar cell with the Ag nanograting is much less sensitive to the angle of incident light. These results are promising for the design of amorphous silicon thin film solar cells with enhanced performance.     

The effects of hydrogen on aluminum-induced crystallization of sputtered hydrogenated amorphous silicon

The effects of hydrogen on aluminum-induced crystallization (AIC) of sputtered hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) were investigated by controlling the hydrogen content of a-SiH films. Nonhydrogenated (a-Si) and hydrogenated (a-Si:H) samples were deposited by sputtering and plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). All aluminum films were deposited by sputtering. Hydrogen was introduced into the sputter-deposited a-Si films during the deposition. After deposition, the samples were annealed at temperatures from 200°C to 400°C for different periods of time. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns were used to confirm the presence and degree of crystallization in the a-Si:H films. For nonhydrogenated films, crystallization initiates at a temperature of 350°C. The crystallization of sputter-deposited a-Si:H initiates at 225°C when 14% hydrogen is present in the film. As the hydrogen content is decreased, the crystallization temperature increases. On the other hand, the crystallization initiation temperature for PECVD a-Si:H containing 11at.%H is 200°C. Further study revealed that the crystallization initiation temperature is a function, not only of the total atomic percent hydrogen in the film, but also a function of the way in which the hydrogen is bonded in the film. Models are developed for crystallization initiation temperature dependence on hydrogen concentration in a-Si:H thin films.     

Laser pattern-write crystallization of amorphous SiC alloys

The aim of this work is to investigate the cw-laser crystallization of amorphous a-Si_1−xC_x alloys as a function of laser power and alloy composition. As the microRaman analysis reveals, many cases occur: in a silicon rich alloy (x ∼0.3) we can obtain two crystalline phases, i.e. polycrystalline Si or polycrystalline C, depending on the laser energy density irradiated on the film. The presence of polycrystalline SiC is observed only in quasi-stoichiometric alloy (x ∼ 0.48) in the cubic β-SiC phase. The experiment has been performed with a laser pattern-writing system that permits simultaneous control of annealing energy and focused spot size. PC control allows several patterns to be traced on the same film.     

Explosive crystallization of rf-sputtered amorphous CdTe films

Explosive crystallization of about 2-μm thick amorphous CdTe films prepared by rf-sputtering in an Ar-N₂ ambient has been observed. The transformation can be initiated with or without external thermal or mechanical impulses depending on the oxygen content of the films. The crystallization is accompanied by a light flash. X-ray diffraction, Auger analysis, and resistivity measurements were made on these films to arrive at a qualitative model to explain the observations.     

用催化CVD法研制优质a—Si薄膜

用新的催化ＣＶＤ法在约３５０℃的低温条件下研制出了ａ－Ｓｉ薄膜。本文是利用催化剂，使ＳｉＨ和Ｈ２混合气体在一定温度下反应而裂解，在衬底上沉积ａ－Ｓｉ薄膜。所制出的ａ－Ｓｉ膜膜具有良好的光电特性，光电灵敏度超过１０＾６，电子自旋密度约２．５×１０＾６ｃｍ＾－３。     

Optical characterization of hydrogenated amorphous silicon thin films deposited at high rate

The aim of this paper is to provide a better understanding of hydrogenated amorphous silicon thin films (a-Si:H) in relation to their optical properties: refractive index, optical gap, absorption coefficient, thickness and surface roughness. The transmission spectrum of the films, deposited with various rf discharge power densities by an optimized plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) method, at a high rate (>10 Å/sec), was measured over a range in wavelength from 500 to 1100 nm. An approximate model is utilized to describe the surface roughness. In this model, the surface roughness is modeled as a mixed layer of 50 percent of a-Si:H and 50 percent of air and the optical constant of the rough layer is derived using the Bruggemann effective medium approximation (EMA). The gradient iteration method of numerical analysis is used to solve the nonlinear equations in the study. Our results show that the potential underestimation of refractive index and resulting overestimation of film thickness can be overcome by considering the reflection of the rough surface. The method is carried out on the transmission data and the influence of rf discharge power density on the properties of the film is discussed in detail.     

直流磁控溅射制备非晶硅薄膜的研究

非晶硅薄膜（a-Si）是目前重要的光敏材料,在很多领域得到广泛应用。直流磁控溅射具有工艺简单．沉积温度低等优点,是制备薄膜的一种重要技术。采用直流磁控溅射工艺在玻璃基板上沉积薄膜,并对样品进行了退火处理。研究了沉积速率与溅射功率的关系。结果表明薄膜的沉积速率与溅射功率近似有线性关系。利用X射线衍射（XRD）对薄膜进行了分析鉴定,结果表明溅射的薄膜是非晶硅薄膜。利用扫描电子显微镜（SEM）对非晶硅薄膜的表面形貌进行了观察和分析,与X射线衍射测试的结果一致。所以．利用直流磁控溅射工艺能在常温下能快速制备出良好的非晶硅薄膜。     

低应力非晶硅薄膜的制备

本文研究了三种降低非晶硅材料应力的手段:优化工艺参数.通过N2退火,将非晶硅的压应力变为张应力.通过额外的掺杂硼来改变非晶硅的应力.最初加入硼掺杂后应力会发生突变,但随着同步掺杂的浓度增加,最终的应力变化会趋向缓和.通过综合利用以上三个手段,最终的实际结果达到了预定的低应力目标.     

Modeling of poly-crystalline silicon ingot crystallization during casting and theoretical suggestion for ingot quality improvement

Finite element (FE) and cellular automaton (CA) models are used in order to predict the microstructure of Poly-Crystalline Silicon (PC-Si) ingots during casting in a directional solidification furnace. During solidification, the 3D-FE model is used to simulate thermal field inside the furnace, while the nucleation and growth of PC-Si are simulated by the modified version of CA model. In this model both nucleation at silicon-crucible interface and nucleation of equiaxed grains on impurities are modeled. The origin of impurity is considered SiC particles when carbon segregates during the solidification and precipitates as SiC particles if carbon solubility limit is reached. The model is evaluated with experimental data for different parameters, such as: the temperature profile at the top and bottom of the PC-Si, grain size, and the height of solidified silicon during solidification. A one-dimensional form of grain growth is observed at the crucible-silicon interface, while a more two-dimensional form of growth is predicted at higher silicon height. The microstructure of PC-Si shows that the grain size increases as a function of PC-Si ingot height. The effects of the cooling rate and competitive growth on the final microstructure of PC-Si are also investigated. The results show that less nucleation sites are formed at the bottom of the crucible with a slower cooling rate, which leads to a larger grain size. Furthermore, the grains at the crucible side walls tend grow inward at a lower cooling rate, which can significantly change the microstructure of PC-Si. This study shows that the competitive growth phenomena plays an important role in the final microstructure of silicon ingots. A simulated model is proposed which shows that by changing the density and location of nucleation sites it is possible to achieve more effective control on final PC-Si micro structure. This simulation helps to explain the crystal behavior observed in ingots cast under different conditions.     

Amorphous chromium silicide formation in hydrogenated amorphous silicon

The interaction between thin films of hydrogenated amorphous silicon and sputter-deposited chromium has been studied. Following deposition of the chromium films at room temperature, the films were annealed over a range of times and temperatures below 350°C. It was found that an amorphous silicide was formed only a few nanometers thick with the square of thickness proportional to the annealing time. The activation energy for the process was 0.55±0.05 eV. The formation process of the silicide was very reproducible with the value of density derived from the thickness and Cr surface density being close to the value for crystalline CrSi₂ for all films formed at temperatures ≤300°C. The specific resistivity of the amorphous CrSi₂ was ≈600 μΩ·cm and independent of annealing temperature.