Wide-optical bandgap with improved conductivity p-μc-Si:Ox:H films prepared by Cat-CVD

Boron-doped hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon oxide (p-μc-Si:Ox:H) films have been deposited using catalytic chemical vapor deposition (Cat-CVD). The single-coiled tungsten catalyst temperature (Tfil) was varied from 1850 to 2100 °C and films were deposited on glass substrates at the temperatures (Tsub) of 100–300 °C. Different catalyst-to-substrate distances of 3–5 cm and deposition pressures from 0.1 to 0.6 Torr were considered. l and electrical characterizations have been made for the deposited samples. The sample transmittance measurement shows an optical-bandgap (Egopt) variation from 1.74 to 2.10 eV as a function of the catalyst and substrate temperatures. One of the best window materials was obtained at Tsub=100 °C and Tfil=2050 °C, with Egopt=2.10 eV, dark conductivity of 3.0×10−3 S cm−1 and 0.3 nm s−1 deposition rate.