Role of grains in protocrystalline silicon layers grown at very low substrate temperatures and studied by atomic force microscopy

Mates, T.; Fejfar, A.; Drbohlav, I.; Rezek, Bohuslav; Fojtı́k, P.; Luterová, K.; Kočka, J.; Koch, Christian; Schubert, M.B.; Ito, Manabu; Ro, Kazuyoshi; Uyama, Haruo

doi:10.1016/s0022-3093(01)00980-2

Cited by 29 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…The conical grains coalesce above the heterophase layer and from then onwards, the microstructure consists of microcrystalline columns that compete for lateral growth. The behavior of rmsroughness with respect to thickness evolution of the layer [5,6] is also well reproduced by the model (Fig. 2): once the nucleation occurs within the amorphous material, roughness increases as long as the coalescence threshold is not reached; thereafter, coalescence roughness decreases and finally stabilizes.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 55%

“…The growth dynamics of microcrystalline materials have been experimentally studied with real-time spectroscopic ellipsometry [5] and the evolution of surface morphology has been characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM), on a series of sample of increasing thickness [6]. These studies revealed the occurrence of an amorphous to microcrystalline transition versus film thickness; this transition coincides with a sudden increase of surface roughness.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Simulation of the growth dynamics of amorphous and microcrystalline silicon

Bailat

Vallat-Sauvain

Vallat

et al. 2004

Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids

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The qualitative description of the major microstructure characteristics of microcrystalline silicon is achieved through a threedimensional discrete dynamical growth model. The model is based on three fundamental processes that determine surface morphology: (1) random deposition of particles, (2) local relaxation and (3) desorption. In this model, the incoming particle reaching the growing surface takes on a state variable representing a particular way of being incorporated into the material. The state variable is attributed according to a simple selection rule that is characteristic of the model. This model reproduces most of the features of the complex microstructure of microcrystalline silicon: transition from amorphous to crystalline phase, conical shape of the crystalline domains, crystalline fraction evolution with respect to the layer thickness and roughness evolution versus layer thickness.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 55%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Simulation of the growth dynamics of amorphous and microcrystalline silicon

Bailat

Vallat-Sauvain

Vallat

et al. 2004

Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids

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show abstract

“…In the following section we shall show that there is no conflict between our macroscopic conductivity [10][11][12][13][14] and microscopic C-AFM results [2], which was broadly discussed in [6].…”

Section: Our Model Of Transport and Its Experimental Basismentioning

confidence: 70%

“…We have studied the transition from a-Si:H to µc-Si:H on many series of thin silicon films [10][11][12][13][14], ranging from pure a-Si:H through the mixed phase samples at relatively sharp a-Si:H / µc-Si:H transition region to highly crystalline samples, called a "single phase" µc-Si:H by the authors of [6]. In this point, we agree with the authors of [6] that what is generally called µc-Si:H is actually a wide class of materials.…”

Section: Our Model Of Transport and Its Experimental Basismentioning

confidence: 99%

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Some controversial points related to transport in microcrystalline silicon

Kočka

Vetushka

Fejfar

2009

Philosophical Magazine

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Relation of nanoscale and macroscopic properties of mixed‐phase silicon thin films

Fejfar

Vetushka

Kalusová

et al. 2010

Physica Status Solidi (a)

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Scanning probe methods (SPMs) such as conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM) can be used to probe the structure and local conductivity of the mixed phase silicon thin films with nanometer resolution. Effective medium approximations (EMAs) were used to relate the nanoscale properties with effective macroscopic properties for the dark conductivity measured with coplanar contacts. Comparison of the percolation threshold predicted by diffferent EMAs show partial correlation of the structure, with resistive amorphous phase coating the conductive grains. In sandwich structures (such as solar cells) the local fields may play important role: concentration of both optical and electrical internal fields to the tips of spherically capped conical microcrystalline grains. Adaptive higher-order polynomial finite-element methods (FEMs) were used to calculate the internal field distributions in the C-AFM.The calculated values agree with the experimental C-AFM, providing the first quantitative description of the relation of the nanoscale and macroscopic properties of the mixed phase Si films.

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Role of grains in protocrystalline silicon layers grown at very low substrate temperatures and studied by atomic force microscopy

Cited by 29 publications

References 10 publications

Simulation of the growth dynamics of amorphous and microcrystalline silicon

Simulation of the growth dynamics of amorphous and microcrystalline silicon

Some controversial points related to transport in microcrystalline silicon

Relation of nanoscale and macroscopic properties of mixed‐phase silicon thin films

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