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Protocrystalline Silicon at High Rate from Undiluted Silane

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 March 2011

R.E.I. Schropp ,
M.K. van Veen ,
C.H.M. van der Werf ,
D.L. Williamson  and
A.H. Mahan
R.E.I. Schropp
Affiliation:
Utrecht University, Debye Institute, SID - Physics of Devices, P.O. Box 80000, 3508 TA Utrecht, The Netherlands
M.K. van Veen
Affiliation:
Utrecht University, Debye Institute, SID - Physics of Devices, P.O. Box 80000, 3508 TA Utrecht, The Netherlands
C.H.M. van der Werf
Affiliation:
Utrecht University, Debye Institute, SID - Physics of Devices, P.O. Box 80000, 3508 TA Utrecht, The Netherlands
D.L. Williamson
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO 80401
A.H. Mahan
Affiliation:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO 80401
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Abstract

Hot Wire Chemical Vapor Deposition (HWCVD) is shown to be a fast method for the deposition of protocrystalline silicon films from undiluted silane. Intrinsic silicon-hydrogen films (2 μm thick) have been deposited by HWCVD on plain stainless steel as well as on stainless steel precoated with a n-type doped microcrystalline silicon layer. In X-ray diffraction experiments, the linewidths of the first sharp peak (FSP) were 5.59 ± 0.09 degrees and 5.29 ± 0.11 degrees, respectively, indicating improved medium-range order and a template effect due to the μc-Si:H n-layer. For thinner layers (0.7 μm thick), the linewidths of the FSP were 5.29 ± 0.09 degrees and 5.10 ± 0.09 degrees. These FSPs are as narrow as for optimized i-layers made by H2-diluted plasma deposition, however, at a much higher deposition rate (1 nm/s), at moderate temperature (250°C), and without the use of H2 dilution. In accompanying transmission electron micro-graphs, the layers show a significant concentration of elongated small voids in the growth direction that are not interconnected. Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) results are consistent with these observations. We suspect that the void nature allows the bulk of the film to be more ordered. The utilization of such layers in n-i- p solar cells on plain stainless steel leads to cells with a remarkably good stability, showing a decrease of the fill factor of less than 10 % during 1500 h of light soaking.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 808: Symposium A – Amorphous and Nanocrystaline Silicon Science and Technology-2004 , 2004 , A8.4
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2004

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References

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