Preparation and Properties of Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon Produced by Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Decomposition of Silane

Abstract

AbstractWe have investigated the properties of several hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) films prepared by the plasma-enhanced chemical vapor decomposition (PECVD) of silane. This reactor is singular because it operates at pressures as low as 10 mTorr and uses infrared lamps to heat the growth environment. Structural characterization showed that all the samples were amorphous. Most films had hydrogen concentrations about 5%, optical gaps near 1.6 eV, and neutral dangling-bond concentrations of the order of 5 × 1016 Cm−3. Electrical activation energies were typically in the range 0.5 – 0.6 eV and the photoconductivity under ∼100 mW/cm2 white light was 10−4 (Ω-cm)−1. The dark conductivity was near 10−8(Ω-cm)−1. No significant change in dark conductivity or photoconductivity occurred after several hours of exposure to light.