Effect of hydrogen passivation on optical properties of a-Si/SiNX multilayered films with Si-QDs and without Si-QDs

The objective is to develop better understanding of the optical behavior of a-Si/SiN_X multilayer with silicon quantum dots (Si-QDs) which can be used as light absorber material for Si-QD based solar cells. In this work, reflectance of a-Si, SiN_X/a-Si, a-Si/SiN_X and SiN_X/a-Si/SiN_X structured films with Si-QDs and without Si-QDs were examined. Hydrogen passivation (H-passivation) of a film with Si-QDs or without Si-QDs showed negligible effect on the optical property of the film. The films with Si-QDs before and after H-passivation showed low reflectance of light in the wavelength range of 200-600 nm compared to the films without Si-QDs. The enhancement in the absorption of light in the films is attributed to the Si-QDs and the quantum confinement effect (QCE).