Uniformity and bandgap engineering in hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon thin films by phosphorus doping for solar cell application

Abstract

Micro-Raman mapping with a spatial resolution of micrometer and room-temperature visible photoluminescence ͑PL͒ has been carried out on phosphorus-doped hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon ͑nc-Si:H͒ thin films grown by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Both the thin film uniformity and structural properties, i.e., the distribution of grain sizes and crystalline volume fraction, with different doping concentrations are revealed and physically interpreted based on the growth mechanism. The observed uniformity has been further confirmed by the PL measurements, and the bandgap engineering of the nc-Si:H thin films has been discussed from the dependence of PL peak energy on doping concentration. These results provide implications to realize control of properties of nc-Si:H by P-doping under optimized growth conditions for solar cell application.

Textured (111) crystalline silicon thin film growth on flexible glass by e-beam evaporation

“…Through the fitting, the Raman scattering spectra of the different films can be assigned [23]. The two broad Raman bands at 305-315 cm À 1 and 447-449 cm À 1 can be interpreted by longitudinal acoustic (LA) phonon mode and longitudinal optical (LO) phonon mode, respectively, from the contribution of an amorphous Si (α-Si) phase.…”

Excimer Laser Crystallization of Nanocrystalline Silicon Thin Films

“…Hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si:H) thin film is a two-phase mixed material constituting of nanostructured crystalline silicon and amorphous silicon. The silicon grains are usually in several nanometer and are embedded in the Si:H amorphous tissues [18,19]. The research on ELC of nc-Si:H films has not been reported in the literatures.…”