Structural studies of n-type nc-Si–QD thin films for nc-Si solar cells

Das, Debajyoti; Kar, Debjit

doi:10.1016/j.jpcs.2017.07.026

Cited by 11 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 67 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Above all, it is found that the crystallisation temperature in this work is lower than that of thick a-Si films, which is about 650°C as reported by Wang [23]. The FWHM lies in the range 9-12 cm −1 , which is broader than that of the as-deposited SiN x .…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 68%

“…Also, the c-Si peak at 515 cm −1 ascribed to the transverse optic (TO) mode becomes broader and makes a symmetric shoulder on the higher frequency side with an increase in the annealing temperature [22]. This conﬁrms the a-SiN phase transition to the c-SiN phase by the formation of silicon nanocrystals dots (Si NCs) [23]. We can find from Figure 2 and Table 2 that the TO mode is also upshifted after annealing [24].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Rapid Thermal Process for Crystallization Silicon Nitride Films

Meziani

Moussi

Mahiou

et al. 2019

Surface Engineering

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Synthesis and characterisation of silicon nanocrystals (Si NCs) materials are carried out. We investigated the morphological and structural Si NCs embedded in the silicon nitride (SiN x ) matrix. The study has been carried out on thin films thermally annealed at high temperature by rapid thermal annealing after deposition at 380°C by plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition. Our study evidenced the existence of an Si NCs embedded on the SiN x matrix. This has been proven by Raman spectra and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM). A sharp peak at a frequency of 515 cm −1 ascribed to the transverse optical (TO) mode becomes broader and makes a symmetric shoulder on the higher frequency side with an increase in the annealing temperature. HR-TEM analyses have demonstrated that Si NCs having a mean radius ranging between 3 and 5 nm. This confirms the a-SiN phase transition to the c-SiN phase by the formation of silicon NCs.

show abstract

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 68%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rapid Thermal Process for Crystallization Silicon Nitride Films

Meziani

Moussi

Mahiou

et al. 2019

Surface Engineering

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Figure 4a shows the XPS spectra of the film deposited at T S = 180 °C, which exhibits three notable peaks at 98, 149, 283.6, and 531 eV, corresponding to the Si 2p, Si 2s, C 1s, and O 1s states, respectively. 43,44 The presence of these peaks confirms the creation of the silicon oxy-carbide network. Figure 4b shows the Si 2p core-level spectrum deconvoluted into four satellite components, which are related to the Si−Si, Si−C, Si− O−C, and Si−O components with binding energies of 98.9, 99.9, 102.1, and 103.2 eV, respectively.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 80%

“…The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic studies were performed to analyze the compositional properties of the nc-SiO x C y :H films. Figure a shows the XPS spectra of the film deposited at T S = 180 °C, which exhibits three notable peaks at 98, 149, 283.6, and 531 eV, corresponding to the Si 2p, Si 2s, C 1s, and O 1s states, respectively. , The presence of these peaks confirms the creation of the silicon oxy-carbide network. Figure b shows the Si 2p core-level spectrum deconvoluted into four satellite components, which are related to the Si–Si, Si–C, Si–O–C, and Si–O components with binding energies of 98.9, 99.9, 102.1, and 103.2 eV, respectively. , Within the intrinsic structural network of nc-SiO x C y :H formed at T S = 180 °C, ∼10.5% of the Si–C component was obtained, along with Si–O ∼10.5%, Si–C–O ∼24.5%, and Si–Si ∼54.5%.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 89%

Studies on the Impedance Characteristics, Dielectric Relaxation, and ac Conductivity in Silicon Oxycarbide (SiO_xC_y:H) Films at the Amorphous-to-Nanocrystalline Transition Zone

Shyam

Das

2022

ACS Appl. Electron. Mater.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The impedance characteristics and ac conductivity behavior of the silicon oxy-carbide (SiO x C y :H) network have been investigated during its transition from an amorphous dominated to a crystalline populated structure, grown by varying only the growth temperature (T S) from 160 to 180 °C. At elevated T S, the Si nanocrystals (Si-ncs) increased in size and number density, with corresponding elevation in crystallinity from 28 to 45%. Two distinct dielectric relaxations for the individual a-SiO x C y :H and nc-Si components were identified in the low-frequency and high-frequency zones, respectively, for the film deposited at higher T S (180 °C). In contrast, for the lower T S (160 °C)-grown film, a significant fraction of the ultra-nanocrystalline (unc-Si) component contributed only one consolidated relaxation peak at a moderate frequency. The scaling measurements of the imaginary part of impedance (−Z Im) revealed two distinct physical events for a-SiO x C y :H and nc-Si, both being temperature scale-independent. The activation energy of relaxation is low for the ordered nc-Si component and high for the disordered a-SiO x C y :H matrix. According to the Bode plot analysis, the presence of several defects in the grain boundary contributed a poor carrier lifetime to the nc-Si component, while the a-SiO x C y :H matrix with lesser defects had a longer carrier lifetime. An equivalent circuit model formed by parallel resistors and constant phase elements (R||CPE), following Nyquist plot analysis, demonstrated an intense association between the microstructural and charge carrier characteristics. The temperature-dependent ac-conductivity behavior of the mixed-phase material is well explained by the nonoverlapping small polaron tunneling model, at two individual stages across a transition from an amorphous to crystalline configuration around a small span of growth temperature.

show abstract