Workfunction of reactive-plasma deposited indium-tin-oxide (RPD-ITO) at the ITO/SiO2 interface, which is referred as interface workfunction, and the process-induced damage are experimentally extracted for the first time based on capacitance-voltage (C-V) analysis. The estimated interface workfunction value of 4.74 eV for as-deposition condition is about 0.4 eV higher than that in the bulk determined by ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS). The RPD process induces the damage at the Si/SiO2 interface, and the degree of the damage is evaluated as the interface defect density (Dit) to be around 1012 cm-2eV-1. The effects of forming-gas annealing on the interface workfunction and recovery of the damage are also studied. The interface workfunction value once decreases to 4.53 eV by the annealing up to 250 oC and then turns to increase to 4.77 eV after 400 oC annealing. The damage is annihilated by the low-temperature forming-gas annealing at 200 oC.
This research investigates the carrier recombination properties of a crystalline defect layer introduced by the plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) process of amorphous hydrogenated silicon nitride (SiNx) passivation films. A direct PECVD technique was used for SiNx films deposition. A crystalline defect layer existed on the surface of the silicon substrate and is under the SiNx passivation film. The recombination lifetime in this defect layer was obtained by focusing on the thickness of the defect layer and the effective lifetime before and after the defect layer etching. After etching a few nanometer thickness, effective lifetime drastically increased. On the other hands, the carrier recombination center could be electrically inactivated by 600°C annealing after SiNx deposition. According to the depth profile of effective lifetime, it was clarified the high carrier recombination region were concentrated near the surface of silicon substrate.
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