Influence of isochronal annealing in the range of 350-1100 • C on the structural properties and the intrinsic absorption edge in thin silicon films doped with tin (a-SiSn) has been studied. It is found that as-deposited a-SiSn films with a tin content of about 4 at.%, unlike undoped a-Si ones, contain silicon nanocrystals with a crystallite size of about 4 nm and a crystalline fraction of about 65%. It is shown that, in the course of isochronal annealing of a-SiSn specimens in the interval of 350-1100 • C, the size of silicon nanocrystals in the amorphous matrix gradually increases to about 7 nm, and the fraction of crystalline phase to about 100%. Crystallization in undoped a-Si is observed only after the annealing at temperatures above 700 • C. The influence of tin on the optical band gap in a-Si as a function of the isochronal annealing temperature is analyzed.K e y w o r d s: thin-film silicon, doping with tin, crystallization, optical band gap, isochronal annealing.
The impact of Sn on the degradation of the nonequilibrium charge carriers lifetime (τ) and the change of free electrons concentration (n) in γ- or electron irradiated Czochralski (Cz) n-Si has been studied. It is shown that in some cases the low-resistivity Sn doped n-Si (n-Si:Sn) can be considered as a material with enhancement radiation tolerance. In this material the lifetime damage factor (kτ) is in several times smaller compared to undoped n-Si while the conductivity damage factor (kn) is close in both materials. We also compared the impact of Sn, Pb and Sn+Pb. It is found that the radiation damage of the carrier lifetime and the conductivity in n-Si:Pb is slightly smaller than in undoped n-Si and in n-Si:Sn+Pb is the same as in n-Si:Sn.
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