The growth of microcrystalline silicon oxide thin films studied by in situ plasma diagnostics

Abstract

Influence of plasma-generated negative oxygen ion impingement on magnetron sputtered amorphous SiO2 thin films during growth at low temperatures

Resolving the nanostructure of plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposited nanocrystalline SiOx layers for application in solar cells

“…20 In addition to the [O]/[Si] ratio dependence of the filament formation, different approaches to tune the crystallinity were investigated, such as the influence of the hydrogen dilution 21 and the PECVD pressure. [22][23][24] Recent studies have also shown that the refractive index and conductivity can be tuned almost independently of each over a wide range. 25 The nanocrystalline silicon growth during PECVD is usually explained by the competition and/or interaction of three distinct mechanisms.…”

“…Until now, in most of the studies, the crystallinity of nc-SiO x :H was treated as one of several dependent parameters and rarely as the sole subject of investigation. 22 In an earlier publication, 23 the macroscopic nc-SiO x :H film properties, such as Raman crystallinity and refractive index, were correlated with the PECVD process and the plasma properties. In the present work, we unravel the nature of the nc-SiO x :H nanostructure and correlate it to the macroscopic film properties and device behavior in the corresponding solar cells.…”

“…The reduction in a crystalline silicon volume fraction with higher deposition pressure observed in the samples studied here can be explained by either the higher silane depletion, which suppresses the atomic hydrogen annihilation reaction in the gas phase, 29 or reduced ion bombardment. 22 While the refractive index is mainly determined by the [O]/[Si] ratio, 2 the conductivity depends on the nanostructure and the crystallinity. Therefore, a deeper understanding of the morphology and how the crystallinity influences the macroscopic electrical properties is of great interest for further device improvements and new potential applications.…”

Plasma monitoring and PECVD process control in thin film silicon-based solar cell manufacturing

“…1) [13]. Up to six glass substrates of 30×30 cm 2 area were loaded via a load lock to a storage chamber.…”

“…Moreover, the refractive index and the electronic band gap and, thus, the optical absorption of the material can be varied by alloying of the material with carbon and oxygen, e.g. by the admixture of CH 4 or CO 2 to the process gas [9][10][11][12][13]. Due to the a e-mail: onno.gabriel@helmholtz-berlin.de wide spread and large variety of applications of these films the growth mechanism of thin film silicon is the topic of ongoing research.…”