Title :
Amorphous and microcrystalline silicon by ECR-CVD using highly dilute silane mixtures [solar cells]
Author :
Jagannathan, B. ; Wallace, R.L. ; Anderson, W.A. ; Ahrenkeil, R.N.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electr. & Comput. Eng., State Univ. of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA
fDate :
29 Sep-3 Oct 1997
Abstract :
Silicon solar cell thin-film growth (amorphous and microcrystalline) by double dilution of silane was studied in a microwave CVD system. The double dilution was achieved by using 2%SiH 4 mixtures (balance of Ar or He) further diluted in H2 . Low hydrogen content films deposited at low temperatures are demonstrated by the technique. The a-Si deposited using 2%SiH4/He shows ~8% H2 content and a compact nature. These films exhibit σD of 10-8 S/cm and a σD/σPH~10-4. μ c-Si films deposited on glass at temperatures of 300-450°C, show high crystalline fraction and low dark conductivity (~10-6S/cm). With SiH4/Ar, crystallinity could be initiated without H2 addition. Increased grain sizes and decreased H2 content were seen for increasing H2 dilution
Keywords :
CVD coatings; chemical vapour deposition; elemental semiconductors; semiconductor growth; semiconductor thin films; silicon; solar cells; 1E-6 S/cm; 1E-8 S/cm; 300 to 450 C; ECR-CVD; H2 content; Si thin-film solar cells; amorphous silicon; compact nature; crystalline fraction; crystallinity; dark conductivity; glass substrate; grain size; highly dilute silane mixtures; microcrystalline silicon; microwave CVD system; Amorphous materials; Argon; Crystallization; Grain size; Helium; Hydrogen; Photovoltaic cells; Semiconductor thin films; Silicon; Temperature;
Conference_Titel :
Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, 1997., Conference Record of the Twenty-Sixth IEEE
Conference_Location :
Anaheim, CA
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-3767-0
DOI :
10.1109/PVSC.1997.654179
