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Properties of Nano-crystalline Silicon-Carbide Films Prepared Using Modulated RF- PECVD

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2011

Feng Zhu ,
Jian Hu ,
Ilvydas Matulionis ,
Augusto Kunrath  and
Arun Madan
Feng Zhu
Affiliation:
[email protected], MVSystems, Inc., Golden, Colorado, United States
Jian Hu
Affiliation:
[email protected], MVSystems, Inc., Golden, Colorado, United States
Ilvydas Matulionis
Affiliation:
[email protected], MVSystems, Inc., Golden, Colorado, United States
Augusto Kunrath
Affiliation:
[email protected], MVSystems, Inc., Golden, Colorado, United States
Arun Madan
Affiliation:
[email protected], MVSystems, Inc., Golden, Colorado, United States
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Abstract

We report on the fabrication of nano-crystalline silicon-carbide (nc-SiC) using pulse modulated RF-PECVD technique, from silane (SiH4) and methane (CH4) gas mixtures which is highly diluted in hydrogen (H2). The microstructure of nc-SiC material is nanometer-size silicon crystallites embedded in amorphous silicon-carbide (a-SiC) matrix. As carbon incorporation in nc-Si film increases, the bandgap is enlarged from 1.1eV to 1.55eV as measured by Photothermal Deflection Spectroscopy (PDS) while the crystalline volume fraction decreases from 70% to about 20%. It is found that the crystalline volume fraction, grain size and dark conductivity of nc-SiC films can be enhanced with applying a negative DC bias to substrate during deposition.

Keywords

nanostructureplasma-enhanced CVD (PECVD) (deposition)photovoltaic
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1153: Symposium A – Amorphous and Polycrystalline Thin Film Silicon Science and Technology–2009 , 2009 , 1153-A17-03
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2009

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