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Isolated Voids in Amorphous Silicon and Related Materials Measured by Effusion of Implanted Helium

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 August 2012

W. Beyer ,
W. Hilgers ,
D. Lennartz ,
F. Pennartz  and
P. Prunici
W. Beyer
Affiliation:
Malibu GmbH & Co.KG, Böttcherstrasse 7, D-33609, Bielefeld, Germany IEK5-Photovoltaik, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, D-52425 Jülich, Germany
W. Hilgers
Affiliation:
IEK5-Photovoltaik, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, D-52425 Jülich, Germany
D. Lennartz
Affiliation:
IEK5-Photovoltaik, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, D-52425 Jülich, Germany
F. Pennartz
Affiliation:
IEK5-Photovoltaik, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, D-52425 Jülich, Germany
P. Prunici
Affiliation:
Malibu GmbH & Co.KG, Böttcherstrasse 7, D-33609, Bielefeld, Germany
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Abstract

Effusion measurements of hydrogen and implanted helium are reported for (undoped) amorphous and crystalline Si:H and related materials. Effusion of helium observed at temperatures > 600°C is attributed to isolated voids present in the material from the preparation process. While rather high void densities are detected for amorphous silicon films prepared by such deposition techniques like vacuum evaporation or sputtering, much smaller densities are found for plasma grown hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H). For device-grade a-Si:H, the density of cavities which can trap helium is estimated to be about 2x1018/cm3at most, suggesting that crystalline silicon type divacancies are not the major hydrogen incorporation site.

Keywords

microstructureamorphousSi
Type
Articles
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1426: Symposium A – Amorphous and Polycrystalline Thin-Film Silicon Science and Technology—2012 , 2012 , pp. 341 - 346
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2012

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References

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