Improvements in the structural and optical properties of a-Si:H by a dense plasma focus

Abstract

Crystallization of hydrogenated amorphous silicon thin films with irradiation by using a dense plasma focus ion beam source has been investigated. The effects of the energetic ion beam irradiation on the surface morphological, structural and optical properties of the as-prepared a-Si:H thin films were investigated with field emission scanning electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, Raman scattering spectroscopy and mapping, and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The results show that irradiation of the energetic ion beam leads to the agglomeration of the Si grains with formation of Si nanocrystallites embedded within the amorphous matrix. This significantly enhances the optical properties of the film that it exhibits a wide range of PL emission spectra at room temperature.