Extraction of the defect density of states in microcrystalline silicon from experimental results and simulation studies

Abstract

The constant photocurrent method in the ac-mode (ac-CPM) is used to determine the defect density of states (DOS) in hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon (μc-Si:H) prepared by very high frequency plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (VHF-PECVD). The absorption coefficient spectrum (ac-α(hv)), is measured under ac-CPM conditions at 60 Hz. The measured ac-α(hv) is converted by the CPM spectroscopy into a DOS distribution covering a portion in the lower energy range of occupied states. We have found that the density of valence band-tail states falls exponentially towards the gap with a typical band-tail width of 63 meV. Independently, computer simulations of the ac-CPM are developed using a DOS model that is consistent with the measured ac-α(hv) in the present work and a previously measured transient photocurrent (TPC) for the same material. The DOS distribution model suggested by the measurements in the lower and in the upper part of the energy-gap, as well as by the numerical modelling in the middle part of the energy-gap, coincide reasonably well with the real DOS distribution in hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon because the computed ac-α(hv) is found to agree satisfactorily with the measured ac-α(hv).