Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-lnqnp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T01:37:06.186Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Defects and Doping in Nanocrystalline Silicon-Germanium Devices

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 August 2014

Siva Konduri
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
Watson Mulder
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
Vikram L. Dalal
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
Get access

Abstract

Nanocrystalline Silicon-Germanium (Si,Ge) is a potentially useful material for photovoltaic devices and photo-detectors. Its bandgap can be controlled across the entire bandgap region from that of Si to that of Ge by changing the alloy composition during growth. In this work, we study the fabrication and electronic properties of nanocrystalline devices grown using PECVD techniques. We discovered that upon adding Ge to Si during growth, the intrinsic layer changes from n-type to p-type. We can change it back to n-type by using ppm levels of phosphorus, and make reasonable quality devices when phosphine gas was added to the deposition mix. We also measured the defect density spectrum using capacitance frequency techniques, and find that defect density decreases systematically as more phosphine is added to the gas phase. We also find that the ratio of Germanium to Silicon in the solid phase is higher than the ratio in the gas phase.

Keywords

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Meier, J., Flückiger, R., Keppner, H. and Shah, A., Applied Physics Letters, 65, 860862 (1994)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shah, A., Meier, J., Vallat-Sauvain, E., Droz, C., Kroll, U., Wyrsch, N., Guillet, J. and Graf, U., Thin Solid Films, 403404, 179187, (2002)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shah, A., Meier, J., Vallat-Sauvain, E., Wyrsch, N., Kroll, U., Droz, C. and Graf, U., Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 78, 469491, (2003)Google Scholar
Dalal, V., Leib, J., Muthukrisnan, K., Stieler, D., and Noack, M., 2005 IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, 1448–1451, (2005)Google Scholar
Yue, G., Yan, B., Sivec, L., Su, T., Zhou, Y., Yang, J. and Guha, S., 2012 MRS Proceedings, 1426, 3338, (2012)Google Scholar
Isomura, M., Nakahata, K., Shima, M., Taira, S., Wakisaka, K., Tanaka, M. and Kiyama, S., Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 74 (14), 519524 (2002)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rath, J. K., Tichelaar, F.D. and Schropp, R. E.I, Solar energy materials and solar cells, 74, 553560 (2002)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Saripalli, S. and Dalal, V., EIT 2008 IEEE International Conference Proceedings, 414–418, (2008)Google Scholar
Matsui, T., Kondo, M., Ogata, K., Ozawa, T. and Isomura, M., Applied Physics Letters, 89, 142115, (2006)Google Scholar
Matsui, T., Ogata, K., Chang, C.W., Isomura, M. and Kondo, M., Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids, 354 (1925), 24682471, (2008)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Matsui, T., Chang, C.W., Takada, T., Isomura, M., Fujiwara, H. and Kondo, M., Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 93, 11001102, (2009)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shantan, K., Siva, K. and Dalal, V., Applied Physics Letters, 103, 093506 (2013)Google Scholar
Matsui, T., Chang, C.W., Mizuno, K., Takeuchi, Y. and Kondo, M., Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, 51, 091302, (2012)CrossRefGoogle Scholar