In situ characterization of microcrystalline silicon by time resolved microwave conductivity

R. Brenot, P. Bulkin, P. Roca I Cabarrocas, B. Drévillon, R. Vanderhaghen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Time resolved microwave conductivity (TRMC) provides the product of the number of free carriers, generated by a laser pulse, by their mobility. A TRMC set-up is implemented in situ together with ultraviolet (UV) visible spectroscopic ellipsometry to analyze and optimize the growth of microcrystalline silicon (μc-Si) by conventional radio frequency discharges. The modelling of TRMC experiment is presented, including numerical simulations of microwave reflectivity, and carrier generation and recombination kinetics. Various materials are analyzed. For the material obtained from SiF4-H2 mixtures, the recombination lifetime varies with the power -0.5 of the carrier density, and the best effective mobility is μeff = 25(±5) cm2 V-1s-1. The set-up allows quantitative comparisons with other materials. For μc-Si films deposited by the integrated distributed electron cyclotron resonance (IDECR) technique, we observe a bimolecular recombination at high laser fluence, followed by a monomolecular one. The effective mobility is μeff = 6(±2) cm2 V-1 s-1.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1001-1005
Number of pages5
JournalJournal of Non-Crystalline Solids
Volume227-230
Issue numberPART 2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 1998

Keywords

  • Lifetime
  • Microcrystalline silicon
  • Mobility

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