The structural evolution and optical characterization of hydrogenated silicon(Si:H) thin films obtained by conventional radio frequency(RF) plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition(PECVD) through decomposition of sil...The structural evolution and optical characterization of hydrogenated silicon(Si:H) thin films obtained by conventional radio frequency(RF) plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition(PECVD) through decomposition of silane diluted with argon were studied by X-ray diffractometry(XRD),Fourier transform infrared(FTIR) spectroscopy,Raman spectroscopy,transmission electron microscopy(TEM),and ultraviolet and visible(UV-vis) spectroscopy,respectively.The influence of argon dilution on the optical properties of the thin films was also studied.It is found that argon as dilution gas plays a significant role in the growth of nano-crystal grains and amorphous network in Si:H thin films.The structural evolution of the thin films with different argon dilution ratios is observed and it is suggested that argon plasma leads to the nanocrystallization in the thin films during the deposition process.The nanocrystallization initiating at a relatively low dilution ratio is also observed.With the increase of argon portion in the mixed precursor gases,nano-crystal grains in the thin films evolve regularly.The structural evolution is explained by a proposed model based on the energy exchange between the argon plasma constituted with Ar* and Ar+ radicals and the growth regions of the thin films.It is observed that both the absorption of UV-vis light and the optical gap decrease with the increase of dilution ratio.展开更多
This paper reports that a double N layer （a-Si：H/μc-Si：H） is used to substitute the single microcrystalline silicon n layer （n-μc-Si：H） in n/p tunnel recombination junction between subcells in a-Si：H/μc-Si...This paper reports that a double N layer （a-Si：H/μc-Si：H） is used to substitute the single microcrystalline silicon n layer （n-μc-Si：H） in n/p tunnel recombination junction between subcells in a-Si：H/μc-Si：H tandem solar cells. The electrical transport and optical properties of these tunnel recombination junctions are investigated by current voltage measurement and transmission measurement. The new n/p tunnel recombination junction shows a better ohmic contact. In addition, the n/p interface is exposed to the air to examine the effect of oxidation on the tunnel recombination junction performance. The open circuit voltage and FF of a-Si：H/μc-Si：H tandem solar cell are all improved and the current leakage of the subcells can be effectively prevented efficiently when the new n/p junction is implemented as tunnel recombination junction.展开更多
In this paper, a-Si：H/a-SiGe：H/μc-SiGe：H triple-junction solar cell structure is proposed. By the analyses of mi- croelectronic and photonic structures （AMPS-1D） and our TRJ-F/TRJ-M/TRJ-B tunneling-recombination...In this paper, a-Si：H/a-SiGe：H/μc-SiGe：H triple-junction solar cell structure is proposed. By the analyses of mi- croelectronic and photonic structures （AMPS-1D） and our TRJ-F/TRJ-M/TRJ-B tunneling-recombination junction （TRJ） model, the most preferably combined bandgap for this structure is found to be 1.85 eV/1.50 eV/1.0 eV. Using more realistic material properties, optimized thickness combination is investigated. Along this direction, a-Si：H/a-SiGe：H/μc-SiGe：H triple cell with an initial efficiency of 12.09% （Voc = 2.03 V, FF = 0.69, Jsc = 8.63 mA/cm^2, area = 1 cm^2） is achieved in our laboratory.展开更多
Hydrogenated amorphous silicon （a-Si：H） films with high and same order of magnitude photosensitivity （-10^5） but different stability were prepared by using microwave electron cyclotron resonance chemical vapour d...Hydrogenated amorphous silicon （a-Si：H） films with high and same order of magnitude photosensitivity （-10^5） but different stability were prepared by using microwave electron cyclotron resonance chemical vapour deposition system under the different deposition conditions. It was proposed that there was no direct correlation between the photosensitivity and the hydrogen content （CH） as well as H-Si bonding configurations, but for the stability, they were the critical factors. The experimental results indicated that higher substrate temperature, hydrogen dilution ratio and lower deposition rate played an important role in improving the microstructure of a-Si：H films. We used hydrogen elimination model to explain our experimental results.展开更多
Hydrogenated silicon （Si：H） thin films for application in solar ceils were deposited by using very high frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition （VHF PECVD） at a substrate temperature of about 170 ℃,...Hydrogenated silicon （Si：H） thin films for application in solar ceils were deposited by using very high frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition （VHF PECVD） at a substrate temperature of about 170 ℃, The electrical, structural, and optical properties of the films were investigated. The deposited films were then applied as i-layers for p-i-n single junction solar cells. The current-voltage （I - V） characteristics of the cells were measured before and after the light soaking. The results suggest that the films deposited near the transition region have an optimum properties for application in solar cells. The cell with an i-layer prepared near the transition region shows the best stable performance.展开更多
Highly conductive boron-doped hydrogenated mieroerystalline silicon （μc-Si：H） films are prepared by very high frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition （VHF PECVD） at the substrate temperatures （Ts）...Highly conductive boron-doped hydrogenated mieroerystalline silicon （μc-Si：H） films are prepared by very high frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition （VHF PECVD） at the substrate temperatures （Ts） ranging from 90℃ to 270℃. The effects of Ts on the growth and properties of the films are investigated. Results indicate that the growth rate, the electrical （dark conductivity, carrier concentration and Hall mobility） and structural （crystallinity and grain size） properties are all strongly dependent on Ts. As Ts increases, it is observed that 1） the growth rate initially increases and then arrives at a maximum value of 13.3 nm/min at Ts=210℃, 2） the crystalline volume fraction （Xc） and the grain size increase initially, then reach their maximum values at TS=140℃, and finally decrease, 3） the dark conductivity （σd）, carrier concentration and Hall mobility have a similar dependence on Ts and arrive at their maximum values at Ts-190℃. In addition, it is also observed that at a lower substrate temperature Ts, a higher dopant concentration is required in order to obtain a maximum σd.展开更多
Studies of nanoindentation were performed on nc-Si：H films to evaluate the effects of the fabrication processes on their mechanical properties. It is observed that with the decrease of the SiH4 contents, the grain si...Studies of nanoindentation were performed on nc-Si：H films to evaluate the effects of the fabrication processes on their mechanical properties. It is observed that with the decrease of the SiH4 contents, the grain size of the films increases gradually, and as does the crystalline volume fraction. The smaller the grains become, the more homogeneous the films, and the more even the hardness as well as the modulus will be. The hardness and the modulus will increase with the substrate＇s temperature rising. The hardness and the modulus of the nc-Si：H films on the Si substrate prove to be higher than those on the glass substrate given the same technology parameters. How- ever, the films on the glass substrate appear to be more homogeneous.展开更多
The effects of different substrates on the structure and hydrogen evolution from a-Si： H thin films deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition were studied, as well as the similar films exposed to an hyd...The effects of different substrates on the structure and hydrogen evolution from a-Si： H thin films deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition were studied, as well as the similar films exposed to an hydrogen plasma. Spectroscopic ellipsometry and hydrogen evolution measurements were used to analyse the effects of the substrate and hydrogen plasma on the films microstructure, thickness, hydrogen content, hydrogen bonding and hydrogen evolution. The hydrogen evolution spectra show a strong substrate dependence. In particular on crystalline silicon substrate, the formation of bubbles was observed. For different substrates, hydrogen plasma treatments lightly affected the hydrogen evolution spectra. These results indicate that the action of hydrogen in a-Si：H was modified by the nature of the substrate.展开更多
Intrinsic hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon （μc-Si：H） films have been prepared by hot-wire-assisted microwave electron-cyclotron-resonance chemical vapour deposition （HW-MWECR-CVD） under different deposition...Intrinsic hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon （μc-Si：H） films have been prepared by hot-wire-assisted microwave electron-cyclotron-resonance chemical vapour deposition （HW-MWECR-CVD） under different deposition conditions, Fourier-transform infrared spectra and Raman spectra were measured. Optical band gap was determined by Tauc plots, and experiments of photo-induced degradation were performed. It was observed that hydrogen dilution plays a more essential role than substrate temperature in microcrystalline transformation at low temperatures. Crystalline volume fraction and mean grain size in the films increase with the dilution ratio （R=H2/（H2＋SiH4））. With the rise of crystallinity in the films, the optical band gap tends to become narrower while the hydrogen content and photo-induced degradation decrease dramatically. The samples, were identified as μc-Si：H films, by calculating the optical band gap. It is considered that hydrogen dilution has an effect on reducing the crystallization activation energy of the material, which promotes the heterogeneous solid-state phase transition characterized by the Johnson-Mehl-Avrami （JMA） equation. The films with the needed structure can be prepared by balancing deposition and crystallization through controlling process parameters.展开更多
This paper found that the crystalline volume ratio （Xc） of μc-Si deposited on SiNx substrate is higher than that on 7059 glass. At the same silane concentration （SC） （for example, at SC=2%）, the Xc of μc-Si de...This paper found that the crystalline volume ratio （Xc） of μc-Si deposited on SiNx substrate is higher than that on 7059 glass. At the same silane concentration （SC） （for example, at SC=2%）, the Xc of μc-Si deposited on SiNx is more than 64%, but just 44% if deposited on Conning 7059. It considered that the ‘hills＇ on SiNx substrate would promote the crystalline growth of μc-Si thin film, which has been confirmed by atomic force microscope （AFM） observation. Comparing several thin film transistor （TFT） samples whose active-layer were deposited under various SC, this paper found that the appropriate SC for the μc-Si thin film used in TFT as active layer should be more than 2%, and Xc should be around 50%. Additionally, the stability comparison of μc-Si TFT and a-Si TFT is shown in this paper.展开更多
Using diborane as doping gas, p-doped μc-Si：H layers are deposited by using the plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition （PECVD） technology. The effects of deposition pressure and plasma power on the growth and ...Using diborane as doping gas, p-doped μc-Si：H layers are deposited by using the plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition （PECVD） technology. The effects of deposition pressure and plasma power on the growth and the properties of μc-Si：H layers are investigated. The results show that the deposition rate, the electrical and the structural properties are all strongly dependent on deposition pressure and plasma power. Boron-doped μc-Si：H films with a dark conductivity as high as 1.42 Ω^-1·cm^-1 and a crystallinity of above 50% are obtained. With this p-layer, μc-Si：H solar cells are fabricated. In addition, the mechanism for the effects of deposition pressure and plasma power on the growth and the properties of boron-doped μc-Si：H layers is discussed.展开更多
Hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon thin films were fabricated from Sill4 with H2 dilution at a low substrate temperature of 200℃ by the conventional plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique. A high depos...Hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon thin films were fabricated from Sill4 with H2 dilution at a low substrate temperature of 200℃ by the conventional plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique. A high deposition rate over 0.75 nm/s can be achieved. Raman scattering spectral measurements revealed that the crystalline fraction and grain size increased with the increase in hydrogen dilution ratio. Fourier transform infrared spectrum measurements showed that the hydrogen content decreased and the Si-H bonding configuration changed mainly from Sill to Sill2 with the increase in hydrogen dilution ratio. This suggested that the hydrogen dilution played an important role in the low-temperature growth of nanocrystalline silicon thin film. The growth mechanism is discussed in terms of a surface diffusion model and hydrogen etching effects.展开更多
基金Project(60425101) supported by the National Outstanding Young Scientists Foundation of ChinaProject(06DZ0241) supported by the Science Foundation of General Armament Department of China
文摘The structural evolution and optical characterization of hydrogenated silicon(Si:H) thin films obtained by conventional radio frequency(RF) plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition(PECVD) through decomposition of silane diluted with argon were studied by X-ray diffractometry(XRD),Fourier transform infrared(FTIR) spectroscopy,Raman spectroscopy,transmission electron microscopy(TEM),and ultraviolet and visible(UV-vis) spectroscopy,respectively.The influence of argon dilution on the optical properties of the thin films was also studied.It is found that argon as dilution gas plays a significant role in the growth of nano-crystal grains and amorphous network in Si:H thin films.The structural evolution of the thin films with different argon dilution ratios is observed and it is suggested that argon plasma leads to the nanocrystallization in the thin films during the deposition process.The nanocrystallization initiating at a relatively low dilution ratio is also observed.With the increase of argon portion in the mixed precursor gases,nano-crystal grains in the thin films evolve regularly.The structural evolution is explained by a proposed model based on the energy exchange between the argon plasma constituted with Ar* and Ar+ radicals and the growth regions of the thin films.It is observed that both the absorption of UV-vis light and the optical gap decrease with the increase of dilution ratio.
基金Project supported by the State Key Development Program for Basic Research of China (Grant Nos 2006CB202602 and2006CB202603)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No 60506003)
文摘This paper reports that a double N layer （a-Si：H/μc-Si：H） is used to substitute the single microcrystalline silicon n layer （n-μc-Si：H） in n/p tunnel recombination junction between subcells in a-Si：H/μc-Si：H tandem solar cells. The electrical transport and optical properties of these tunnel recombination junctions are investigated by current voltage measurement and transmission measurement. The new n/p tunnel recombination junction shows a better ohmic contact. In addition, the n/p interface is exposed to the air to examine the effect of oxidation on the tunnel recombination junction performance. The open circuit voltage and FF of a-Si：H/μc-Si：H tandem solar cell are all improved and the current leakage of the subcells can be effectively prevented efficiently when the new n/p junction is implemented as tunnel recombination junction.
基金supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant Nos. 2011CBA00705, 2011CBA00706, and 2011CBA00707)the Natural Science Foundation of Tianjin City, China (Grant No. 12JCQNJC01000)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of China (Grant No. 65012371)
文摘In this paper, a-Si：H/a-SiGe：H/μc-SiGe：H triple-junction solar cell structure is proposed. By the analyses of mi- croelectronic and photonic structures （AMPS-1D） and our TRJ-F/TRJ-M/TRJ-B tunneling-recombination junction （TRJ） model, the most preferably combined bandgap for this structure is found to be 1.85 eV/1.50 eV/1.0 eV. Using more realistic material properties, optimized thickness combination is investigated. Along this direction, a-Si：H/a-SiGe：H/μc-SiGe：H triple cell with an initial efficiency of 12.09% （Voc = 2.03 V, FF = 0.69, Jsc = 8.63 mA/cm^2, area = 1 cm^2） is achieved in our laboratory.
文摘Hydrogenated amorphous silicon （a-Si：H） films with high and same order of magnitude photosensitivity （-10^5） but different stability were prepared by using microwave electron cyclotron resonance chemical vapour deposition system under the different deposition conditions. It was proposed that there was no direct correlation between the photosensitivity and the hydrogen content （CH） as well as H-Si bonding configurations, but for the stability, they were the critical factors. The experimental results indicated that higher substrate temperature, hydrogen dilution ratio and lower deposition rate played an important role in improving the microstructure of a-Si：H films. We used hydrogen elimination model to explain our experimental results.
文摘Hydrogenated silicon （Si：H） thin films for application in solar ceils were deposited by using very high frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition （VHF PECVD） at a substrate temperature of about 170 ℃, The electrical, structural, and optical properties of the films were investigated. The deposited films were then applied as i-layers for p-i-n single junction solar cells. The current-voltage （I - V） characteristics of the cells were measured before and after the light soaking. The results suggest that the films deposited near the transition region have an optimum properties for application in solar cells. The cell with an i-layer prepared near the transition region shows the best stable performance.
文摘Highly conductive boron-doped hydrogenated mieroerystalline silicon （μc-Si：H） films are prepared by very high frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition （VHF PECVD） at the substrate temperatures （Ts） ranging from 90℃ to 270℃. The effects of Ts on the growth and properties of the films are investigated. Results indicate that the growth rate, the electrical （dark conductivity, carrier concentration and Hall mobility） and structural （crystallinity and grain size） properties are all strongly dependent on Ts. As Ts increases, it is observed that 1） the growth rate initially increases and then arrives at a maximum value of 13.3 nm/min at Ts=210℃, 2） the crystalline volume fraction （Xc） and the grain size increase initially, then reach their maximum values at TS=140℃, and finally decrease, 3） the dark conductivity （σd）, carrier concentration and Hall mobility have a similar dependence on Ts and arrive at their maximum values at Ts-190℃. In addition, it is also observed that at a lower substrate temperature Ts, a higher dopant concentration is required in order to obtain a maximum σd.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants 10432050 and 90305026)
文摘Studies of nanoindentation were performed on nc-Si：H films to evaluate the effects of the fabrication processes on their mechanical properties. It is observed that with the decrease of the SiH4 contents, the grain size of the films increases gradually, and as does the crystalline volume fraction. The smaller the grains become, the more homogeneous the films, and the more even the hardness as well as the modulus will be. The hardness and the modulus will increase with the substrate＇s temperature rising. The hardness and the modulus of the nc-Si：H films on the Si substrate prove to be higher than those on the glass substrate given the same technology parameters. How- ever, the films on the glass substrate appear to be more homogeneous.
文摘The effects of different substrates on the structure and hydrogen evolution from a-Si： H thin films deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition were studied, as well as the similar films exposed to an hydrogen plasma. Spectroscopic ellipsometry and hydrogen evolution measurements were used to analyse the effects of the substrate and hydrogen plasma on the films microstructure, thickness, hydrogen content, hydrogen bonding and hydrogen evolution. The hydrogen evolution spectra show a strong substrate dependence. In particular on crystalline silicon substrate, the formation of bubbles was observed. For different substrates, hydrogen plasma treatments lightly affected the hydrogen evolution spectra. These results indicate that the action of hydrogen in a-Si：H was modified by the nature of the substrate.
文摘Intrinsic hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon （μc-Si：H） films have been prepared by hot-wire-assisted microwave electron-cyclotron-resonance chemical vapour deposition （HW-MWECR-CVD） under different deposition conditions, Fourier-transform infrared spectra and Raman spectra were measured. Optical band gap was determined by Tauc plots, and experiments of photo-induced degradation were performed. It was observed that hydrogen dilution plays a more essential role than substrate temperature in microcrystalline transformation at low temperatures. Crystalline volume fraction and mean grain size in the films increase with the dilution ratio （R=H2/（H2＋SiH4））. With the rise of crystallinity in the films, the optical band gap tends to become narrower while the hydrogen content and photo-induced degradation decrease dramatically. The samples, were identified as μc-Si：H films, by calculating the optical band gap. It is considered that hydrogen dilution has an effect on reducing the crystallization activation energy of the material, which promotes the heterogeneous solid-state phase transition characterized by the Johnson-Mehl-Avrami （JMA） equation. The films with the needed structure can be prepared by balancing deposition and crystallization through controlling process parameters.
基金Project supported by the ‘863＇ Project of National Ministry of Science and Technology （Grant No 2004AA33570）, Key Project of NSFC （Grant No 60437030） and Tianjin Natural Science Foundation （Grant No 05YFJMJC01400）.
文摘This paper found that the crystalline volume ratio （Xc） of μc-Si deposited on SiNx substrate is higher than that on 7059 glass. At the same silane concentration （SC） （for example, at SC=2%）, the Xc of μc-Si deposited on SiNx is more than 64%, but just 44% if deposited on Conning 7059. It considered that the ‘hills＇ on SiNx substrate would promote the crystalline growth of μc-Si thin film, which has been confirmed by atomic force microscope （AFM） observation. Comparing several thin film transistor （TFT） samples whose active-layer were deposited under various SC, this paper found that the appropriate SC for the μc-Si thin film used in TFT as active layer should be more than 2%, and Xc should be around 50%. Additionally, the stability comparison of μc-Si TFT and a-Si TFT is shown in this paper.
基金Project supported by the State Key Development Program for Basic Research of China (Grant No 2006CB202601)Basic Research Project of Henan province,China (Grant No 072300410140)
文摘Using diborane as doping gas, p-doped μc-Si：H layers are deposited by using the plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition （PECVD） technology. The effects of deposition pressure and plasma power on the growth and the properties of μc-Si：H layers are investigated. The results show that the deposition rate, the electrical and the structural properties are all strongly dependent on deposition pressure and plasma power. Boron-doped μc-Si：H films with a dark conductivity as high as 1.42 Ω^-1·cm^-1 and a crystallinity of above 50% are obtained. With this p-layer, μc-Si：H solar cells are fabricated. In addition, the mechanism for the effects of deposition pressure and plasma power on the growth and the properties of boron-doped μc-Si：H layers is discussed.
基金supported by the Major State Basic Research and Development Program of China,Ministry of Science and Technology of China (No.G2000028208)
文摘Hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon thin films were fabricated from Sill4 with H2 dilution at a low substrate temperature of 200℃ by the conventional plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique. A high deposition rate over 0.75 nm/s can be achieved. Raman scattering spectral measurements revealed that the crystalline fraction and grain size increased with the increase in hydrogen dilution ratio. Fourier transform infrared spectrum measurements showed that the hydrogen content decreased and the Si-H bonding configuration changed mainly from Sill to Sill2 with the increase in hydrogen dilution ratio. This suggested that the hydrogen dilution played an important role in the low-temperature growth of nanocrystalline silicon thin film. The growth mechanism is discussed in terms of a surface diffusion model and hydrogen etching effects.
