Optical absorption in PECVD deposited thin hydrogenated silicon in light of ordering effects

• Authors: Jarmila Müllerová , Veronika Vavruňková , Pavel Å utta
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

We report results obtained from measurements of optical transmittance spectra carried out on a series of silicon thin films deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) from silane diluted with hydrogen. Hydrogen dilution of silane results in an inhomogeneous growth during which the material evolves from amorphous hydrogenated silicon (a-Si:H) to microcrystalline hydrogenated silicon (µc-Si:H). Spectral refractive indices and absorption coefficients were determined from transmittance spectra. The spectral absorption coefficients were used to determine the Tauc optical band gap energy, the B factor of the Tauc plots, E
04 (energy at which the absorption coefficient is equal to 104 cm−1), and the Urbach energy as a function of the hydrogen dilution. The results were correlated with microstructure, namely volume fractions of the amorphous and crystalline phase with voids, and with the grain size.

Keywords

EN

thin-film silicon; absorption coefficient; optical band gap energy; volume fraction

Discipline

• 78.20.-e: Optical properties of bulk materials and thin films(for optical properties related to materials treatment, see 81.40.Tv; for optical materials, see 42.70-a; for optical properties of superconductors, see 74.25.Gz; for optical properties of rocks and minerals, see 91.60.Mk; for optical properties of specific thin films, see 78.66.-w)
• 78.20.Ci: Optical constants (including refractive index, complex dielectric constant, absorption, reflection and transmission coefficients, emissivity)
• 78.40.Fy: Semiconductors

• Publisher: De Gruyter Open
• Journal: Open Physics
• Year: 2009
• Volume: 7
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 315-320

Dates

published

1 - 6 - 2009

online

26 - 4 - 2009

Contributors

author

Jarmila Müllerová

• Department of Engineering Fundamentals, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Žilina, ul. kpt. J. Nálepku 1390, 031 01, Liptovský Mikuláš, Slovakia

author

Veronika Vavruňková

• Department of Materials and Technology, New Technology Research Center, University of West Bohemia, Univerzitní 8, 306 14, Plzeň, Czech Republic

author

Pavel Å utta

• Department of Materials and Technology, New Technology Research Center, University of West Bohemia, Univerzitní 8, 306 14, Plzeň, Czech Republic

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Identifiers

DOI

10.2478/s11534-009-0023-y