Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 February 2011
Residual electronic deep levels in fully – processed, cw laser – crystallized silicon thin films on fused silica were measured by transient capacitance spectroscopy, supplemented with capacitance – voltage techniques. The test devices were metal – oxide – silicon thin – film capacitors with p – type conductivity. The hole emission spectra are dominated by a continuous distribution of deep levels in the lower half of the silicon band gap which are associated with the Si – SiO2 interface; the spectra also display the effects of surface generation. The interface – state density near midgap is estimated to be 6×1010 eV−1 cm−2, and there are no detectable bulk deep levels with densities > 1×1014 cm−3.