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Microvoids and Photoconductivities in a-SiC:H and a-Si:H

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 February 2011

A. H. Mahan ,
D. L. Williamson  and
B. P. Nelson
A. H. Mahan
Affiliation:
Solar Energy Research Institute, Golden, CO 80401
D. L. Williamson
Affiliation:
Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO 80401
B. P. Nelson
Affiliation:
Solar Energy Research Institute, Golden, CO 80401
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Abstract

Small microvoids having a radius of gyration between 3.3Å-4.6Å are found by the Small Angle X-Ray Scattering (SAXS) technique to exist in both glow discharge a-Si1−xCx:H (O<x<0.3) and a-Si:H (40°C<Ts<250°C) films. Included in these results are the first observation of microvoids, as detected by SAXS, in device quality a-Si:H. The volume fraction of microvoids (vf) is found to increase from 0.01 in device quality a-Si:H to greater than 0.20 for both the a-SiC:H(x=.30) and a-Si:H(Ts=40°C) films. Tilting experiments indicate that the microvoids are non-oriented (spherical) in a-SiC:H and are oriented (columnar) in non-device quality a-Si:H. The normalized coplanar photoconductivities of all samples decrease with increasing vf, but for a given vf the photoconductivity is larger in a-SiC:H than in a-Si:H. We discuss reasons for this behavior.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 149: Symposium E – Amorphous Silicon Technology - 1989 , 1989 , 539
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1989

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References

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