Optical and electrical measurements of a-SiC:H/c-Si heterojunctions prepared by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition

A series of optical and electrical measurements of a-SiC:H/c-Si heterojunctions prepared by a parallel-plate plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition system are reported. All the samples underwent various passivation processes. It is observed that in situ H₂/Ar plasma prior cleaning and H₂ plasma annealing can reduce the dark current of the heterojunction by three orders of magnitude. Higher process pressure and lower power density also favour good interface properties.