Effect of thermal annealing on optical and photoelectric properties of microcrystalline hydrogenated silicon films

The effect of thermal annealing in the temperature range T _a=300–600°C of films of microcrystal-line hydrogenated silicon (μc-Si:H) lightly doped with boron on the spectral dependences of the absorption coefficient (α) at photon energies hν=0.8–2.0 eV, dark conductivity (σ_d), and photoconductivity (Δσ_ph) was studied at room temperature. With increasing annealing temperature, a nonmonotonic variation of α (at hν<1.2 eV), σ_d, and Δσ_ph was observed. The data obtained are attributed to a change in the concentration of electrically active impurities and formation of defects, caused by hydrogen effusion and bond restructuring at high annealing temperatures.