Preparation and characterization of hydrogenated amorphous silicon thin films and thin film solar cells produced by ion plating techniques. Second quarterly progress report, 1 April-30 June 1979

Abstract

Using quartz substrates, hydrogenated a-Si thin films have now been produced both by glow discharge decomposition of silane and by the controlled ion plating of high purity through glow discharges composed of silane, hydrogen, and argon using a modified Takagi apparatus. Thus far, thin films produced by both glow discharge decomposition of silane with and without magnetic confinement and by ion plating have been characterized and compared using x-ray deffractometry, infrared spectroscopy, optical absorption spectroscopy and by their temperature dependence of resistivity. Based on these results, the ion plating technique of producing a-Si thin films looks extremely encouraging. Films have been produced at approximately ten times the deposition rate obtained using glow discharge decomposition of silane, even with magnetic field containment. In addition the resulting thin film properties measured to date compared favorably with those obtained from our glow discharge produced films and the properties of glow discharge produced films reported in the literature.