Energy levels distribution in supersaturated silicon with titanium for photovoltaic applications
- Dept. de Electricidad y Electrónica, Universidad de Valladolid, ETSI Telecomunicación, Paseo de Belén 15, 47011 Valladolid (Spain)
- Dept. de Física Aplicada III (Electricidad y Electrónica), Univ. Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid (Spain)
- CEI Campus Moncloa, UCM-UPM, 28040 Madrid (Spain)
In the attempt to form an intermediate band in the bandgap of silicon substrates to give it the capability to absorb infrared radiation, we studied the deep levels in supersaturated silicon with titanium. The technique used to characterize the energy levels was the thermal admittance spectroscopy. Our experimental results showed that in samples with titanium concentration just under Mott limit there was a relationship among the activation energy value and the capture cross section value. This relationship obeys to the well known Meyer-Neldel rule, which typically appears in processes involving multiple excitations, like carrier capture/emission in deep levels, and it is generally observed in disordered systems. The obtained characteristic Meyer-Neldel parameters were Tmn = 176 K and kTmn = 15 meV. The energy value could be associated to the typical energy of the phonons in the substrate. The almost perfect adjust of all experimental data to the same straight line provides further evidence of the validity of the Meyer Neldel rule, and may contribute to obtain a deeper insight on the ultimate meaning of this phenomenon.
- OSTI ID:
- 22399105
- Journal Information:
- Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 106, Issue 2; Other Information: (c) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0003-6951
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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