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The effect of radio frequency power on the structural and optical properties of a-C:H films prepared by PECVD

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 January 2017

Yequan Xiao ,
Xinyu Tan ,
Lihua Jiang ,
Ting Xiao ,
Peng Xiang  and
Wensheng Yan
Yequan Xiao
Affiliation:
College of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Inorganic Nonmetallic Crystalline and Energy Conversion Materials (CTGU), China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China; and School of Materials Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials (MOE), Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Xinyu Tan*
Affiliation:
College of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Inorganic Nonmetallic Crystalline and Energy Conversion Materials (CTGU), China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China
Lihua Jiang*
Affiliation:
College of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Inorganic Nonmetallic Crystalline and Energy Conversion Materials (CTGU), China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China
Ting Xiao
Affiliation:
College of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Inorganic Nonmetallic Crystalline and Energy Conversion Materials (CTGU), China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China
Peng Xiang
Affiliation:
College of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Inorganic Nonmetallic Crystalline and Energy Conversion Materials (CTGU), China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China
Wensheng Yan
Affiliation:
Institute of Microstructure Technology (IMT), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe 76344, Germany
*
a) Address all correspondence to these authors. e-mail: [email protected]
b) e-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) films with a designed buffer layer of amorphous hydrogenated silicon carbide on the substrates were fabricated by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). The effect of radio frequency (RF) power on the structural and optical properties of a-C:H films was investigated. The ratios of sp 3 to sp 2 of carbon atoms and hydrogen contents in the RF power range of 75–175 W are determined and a similar trend as a function of power. The increase of sp 3 to sp 2 ratio leads to the increase of transmittance and optical gap of a-C:H films. a-C:H film under an RF power of 175 W possesses high transmissive ability (>80%) in the visible wave length, even the highest transmittance value of about 94.2% is achieved at the wave length 550 nm. These results show the optimal a-C:H films which are promising for the applications in the area of solar cells acting a window layer and antireflection layer.

Keywords

amorphous carbon filmPECVDradio frequencyoptical properties
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 32 , Issue 7 , 14 April 2017 , pp. 1231 - 1238
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Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2017 

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Footnotes

Contributing Editor: Mauricio Terrones

References

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