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Carrier Transport Properties of DC Magnetron Reactive Sputtered a-Si:H Films

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 February 2011

M. Pinarbasi ,
N. Maley ,
J. R. Abelson ,
V. Chu  and
S. Wagner
M. Pinarbasi
Affiliation:
Materials Science and Engineering Department and the Coordinated Science Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana IL 61801
N. Maley
Affiliation:
Materials Science and Engineering Department and the Coordinated Science Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana IL 61801
J. R. Abelson
Affiliation:
Materials Science and Engineering Department and the Coordinated Science Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana IL 61801
V. Chu
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544
S. Wagner
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544
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Abstract

We have prepared device quality hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) films by DC magnetron reactive sputtering in an Ar+H2 atmosphere. The hydrogen content (CH) of these films ranges from ∼10 to ∼28 at.% (determined from IR absorption) and is controlled mainly by the hydrogen partial pressure in the discharge. The electron and hole transport, and the density of defect states show that these films are suitable for solar cell applications. In this report we will emphasize the carrier transport properties of the films. The electron drift mobilities, determined by time-of-flight experiments, are between 0.5 and 2 cm2/V-sec. The minority carrier (hole) mobility-recombination lifetime product, (μτrec)p, has been determined on Schottky barrier structures from a fit of the voltage dependence of the photocurrent to the Hecht expression. This measurement gives results of (μτrec)p ∼ 0.9- 3×10−8 cm2/V. The density of deep-level defect states for these films (10≤CH≤28), measured with CPM, is between ∼1×1015 and ∼1×1016 cm−3. The AM-1 photoconductivity is in the range from 0.8−3.5×10−5 (Ω-cm)−1 and the dark conductivity decreases from ∼1×10−9 to ∼1×10−12 (Ω-cm)−l as the hydrogen content (CH) increases. These results show that device quality a-Si:H films can be grown by the DC magnetron reactive sputtering technique.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 149: Symposium E – Amorphous Silicon Technology - 1989 , 1989 , 205
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1989

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References

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