Growth of microcrystalline Si:H and (Si,Ge):H on polyamide substrates using ECR deposition techniques

Conference · Tue Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1997

OSTI ID:20085513

Erickson, K; Dalal, V L; Chumanov, G

The authors report on the growth of good quality micro-crystalline Si:H and (Si,Ge):H films on polyamide substrates using a remote plasma ECR deposition technique. They find that under conditions that lead to significant ion bombardment of the substrate, the films are microcrystalline even at relatively low deposition temperatures of about 250 C. A critical factor in inducing microcrystallinity is the presence of a metal coating layer on polyamide. In the absence of such a coating, the films are amorphous, probably because the uncoated polyamide substrate charges up and prevents any further ion bombardment. The quality of the films was measured using both Raman spectroscopy and by studying the activation energy and low-energy absorption coefficient of the films. The sub-gap absorption coefficient was found to follow the crystalline Si absorption curve quite well. The addition of germane to the gas phase shifted the absorption curve to smaller energies.

• Research Organization: Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (US)
• Sponsoring Organization: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
• OSTI ID: 20085513
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
ABSORPTION SPECTRA
CRYSTAL GROWTH
CRYSTAL GROWTH METHODS
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
GERMANIUM SILICIDES
HYDROGEN ADDITIONS
SILICON
SUBSTRATES