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Influence of RF power on structural optical and electrical properties of hydrogenated nano-crystalline silicon (nc-Si:H) thin films deposited by PE-CVD

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Abstract

We report synthesis of hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si:H) thin films by using conventional plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PE-CVD) system from gas mixture of pure silane (SiH4) and hydrogen (H2). We investigated the effect of RF power on structural, optical and electrical properties using various characterization techniques including Raman spectroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy, UV–visible spectroscopy etc. Low angle XRD and Raman spectroscopy analysis revealed that the RF power in PE-CVD is a critical process parameter to induce nanocrystallization in Si:H films. The FTIR spectroscopy analysis results indicate that with increase in RF power the predominant hydrogen bonding in films shifts from Si–H to Si–H2 and (Si–H2)n bonded species bonded species. However, the bonded hydrogen content didn’t show particular trend with change in RF power. The UV–visible spectroscopy analysis shows that the band tail width (E04–ETauc) with increase in RF power. The defect density and Urbach energy also increases with increase in RF power. The highest dark conductivity (and lowest charge carrier activation energy) was obtained for the film deposited at RF power of 125 W indicating that 125 W is optimized RF power of our PE-CVD unit. At this optimized RF power nc-Si:H films with crystallite size ~3.7 nm having good degree of crystallinity (~86.7 %) and high band gap (ETauc ~ 2.01 eV and E04 ~ 2.58 eV) were obtained with a low hydrogen content (6.2 at.%) at moderately high deposition rate (0.24 nm/s).

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Acknowledgments

The authors are thankful to Department of Science and Technology (DST) and Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India, New Delhi for the financial support. One of the authors S.R.J. is thankful to University Grants Commission, New Delhi for special financial support under UPE program. Mr. Ashok Jadhavar is thankful to collaborative program between Bhabha Atomic Research Center, Mumbai 400 085 and Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune 411 007 Fellowship and financial assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Energy Studies, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, 411 007, India

    Ashok Jadhavar, Amit Pawbake, Ravindra Waykar, Vaishali Waman, Sachin Rondiya, Omkar Shinde, Rupali Kulkarni, Avinash Rokade, Ajinkya Bhorde & Adinath Funde

  2. Department of Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science, IIT Powai, Mumbai, 400 076, India

    Dinkar Patil

  3. Department of Physics, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, 411 007, India

    Habib Pathan & Sandesh Jadkar

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  1. Ashok Jadhavar
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Correspondence to Sandesh Jadkar.

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Jadhavar, A., Pawbake, A., Waykar, R. et al. Influence of RF power on structural optical and electrical properties of hydrogenated nano-crystalline silicon (nc-Si:H) thin films deposited by PE-CVD. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 27, 12365–12373 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-016-5024-1

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