Effect of thermal annealing on the structural, optical and microstructural properties of a-SiC thin films

Baskar, Sam; Azam, Abu Bakr; S, Akshay; Thomas, Nikhil S.; Devesh, M.; Hariprasath, B.; Nalini, R. Pratibha

doi:10.1080/2374068x.2019.1622298

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Owing to the rearrangements of atomic grains, the thermal annealing of SiC above 900 K leads to compressive stress reduction, increased mechanical stability, and adhesion, as well as lower optical band gap (higher solar absorption). [ 36,37 ] In our case, SiC also acts as the diffusion barrier, [ 38 ] and prevents the oxidation or diffusion of tungsten nanoclusters at higher temperatures. The as‐deposited ultrathin SiC‐W absorptive stack on tungsten layer maintained its outstanding optical performance after annealing at 1050 K in vacuum, and 900 K in air.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Refractory Ultrathin Nanocomposite Solar Absorber with Superior Spectral Selectivity and Thermal Stability

Raza

Alketbi

Devarapalli

et al. 2020

Advanced Optical Materials

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Highly efficient solar–thermal energy conversion requires refractory absorbers harnessing full spectrum of sunlight, minimal thermal emission, and structural stability at higher operating temperatures. Herein, an ultrathin ultrabroadband omnidirectional silicon carbide–tungsten (SiC‐W) refractory nanocomposite is fabricated by high‐throughput co‐sputtering with superior thermal and oxidation stability. The as‐fabricated SiC‐W nanocomposite (78 nm) deposited on tungsten layer with top anti‐reflective film exhibits high solar absorptance of 95.45% in the wide range of 250–2500 nm with thermal emittance below 0.05 at ambient temperature. The ultrabroadband absorption is achieved by plasmonic resonances triggered by self‐formed tungsten nanoclusters in the range of 500–1500 nm combined with SiC intrinsic absorption below λ < 500 nm. SiC as diffusion barrier also prevents interlayer diffusion and oxidation of tungsten nanoclusters to achieve superior thermal/oxidation stability, when annealed at 900 K (air) and 1050 K (vacuum). This work demonstrates outstanding capability of refractory nanocomposites in high‐performance solar thermal technologies for both terrestrial and space environments.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Refractory Ultrathin Nanocomposite Solar Absorber with Superior Spectral Selectivity and Thermal Stability

Raza

Alketbi

Devarapalli

et al. 2020

Advanced Optical Materials

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“…A fundamental solution to address this issue is to apply a heat treatment process to the thin silicon layers, which will result in the silicon recrystallization (Baskar, 2019;Wilken et al, 2022). However, this solution faces a major problem, which is that the recrystallization of silicon begins at temperatures above 900°C, and complete crystallization of the amorphous film requires higher temperatures and longer heat treatment times.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fabrication of N-Type Nanocrystalline Silicon Thin-Film by Magnetron Sputtering and Antimony Induced Crystallization

Shekoofa¹,

Wang²,

Li³

2023

AAES

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The fabrication of n-type nanocrystalline silicon thin films using magnetron sputtering and crystallization by adding antimony and thermal treatment is presented in this article. Firstly, a short overview about thin film deposition methods, along with the advantages and disadvantages of the magnetron sputtering, is provided. Then, the technique of adding metals for recrystallization of amorphous silicon is described, and the necessity of using antimony for obtaining n-type nanocrystalline silicon along with its characteristics is discussed. Next, the process of thin film deposition using magnetron sputtering and the production of n-type nanocrystalline silicon on a quartz substrate, by antimony induced crystallization, is explained. Subsequently, the characterization process and necessary measurements to confirm the crystallization of the nanocrystalline silicon layer and determine its crystalline properties are presented. For ease of electrical characterization, a simple n/p junction Schottky solar cell is fabricated using the produced nanocrystalline silicon layer on a p-type monocrystalline silicon wafer. In addition to nanocrystalline properties, the optical and electrical characteristics of this cell are also investigated. The measurements show that with the proposed method, a fine grains nanocrystalline silicon layer with an average grain size of 20 nm was formed in the <111> direction. J-V characteristic measurement shows the creation of a solar cell with conversion efficiency of 1.39%, open circuit voltage of 265mV and current density of 16.32mA/cm2. These results confirm that antimony can be used in the process of crystallizing amorphous thin film silicon obtained from magnetron sputtering and converting it into n-type nanocrystalline silicon.

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Effect of thermal annealing on the structural, optical and microstructural properties of a-SiC thin films

Cited by 2 publications

References 26 publications

Refractory Ultrathin Nanocomposite Solar Absorber with Superior Spectral Selectivity and Thermal Stability

Refractory Ultrathin Nanocomposite Solar Absorber with Superior Spectral Selectivity and Thermal Stability

Fabrication of N-Type Nanocrystalline Silicon Thin-Film by Magnetron Sputtering and Antimony Induced Crystallization

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