Low-temperature plasma-deposited silicon epitaxial films: Growth and properties
- École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Institute of Microengineering (IMT), Photovoltaics and Thin-Film Electronics Laboratory, Maladière 71B, CH-2000 Neuchâtel (Switzerland)
- École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Interdisciplinary Centre for Electron Microscopy (CIME), Station 12, CH-1015 Lausanne (Switzerland)
Low-temperature (≤200 °C) epitaxial growth yields precise thickness, doping, and thermal-budget control, which enables advanced-design semiconductor devices. In this paper, we use plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition to grow homo-epitaxial layers and study the different growth modes on crystalline silicon substrates. In particular, we determine the conditions leading to epitaxial growth in light of a model that depends only on the silane concentration in the plasma and the mean free path length of surface adatoms. For such growth, we show that the presence of a persistent defective interface layer between the crystalline silicon substrate and the epitaxial layer stems not only from the growth conditions but also from unintentional contamination of the reactor. Based on our findings, we determine the plasma conditions to grow high-quality bulk epitaxial films and propose a two-step growth process to obtain device-grade material.
- OSTI ID:
- 22314544
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 116, Issue 5; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-8979
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
High-efficiency crystalline silicon solar cells: status and perspectives
|
journal | January 2016 |
On-site SiH 4 generator using hydrogen plasma generated in slit-type narrow gap
|
journal | May 2018 |
Similar Records
Gas source molecular beam epitaxy of scandium nitride on silicon carbide and gallium nitride surfaces
Vacuum hydride epitaxy of silicon: kinetics of monosilane pyrolysis on the growth surface