Deuterium dilution instead of hydrogen has been studied in microcrystalline silicon growth using plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition with monosilane. It was found that the crystallinity for D2 dilution is significantly improved as compared to that for H2 dilution at the same growth rate. Optical emission spectroscopy measurement shows that the electron temperature of SiH4 + D2 plasma is lower than that of SiH4 + H2, indicating that the bombarding ion energy is reduced for D2 dilution. It was also found that the H-D exchange reaction on the surface has a certain threshold number of events and that microcrystalline formation occurs only above the threshold. The role of atomic hydrogen originating from a diluent in crystal formation is discussed.

We have deposited a novel form of amorphous silicon through molecular beam epitaxy in an ultra-high vacuum. In particular, by depositing silicon atoms onto an optical quality fused quartz substrate at room temperature we have obtained a silicon-based material that lacks the periodicity that characterizes crystalline silicon but nevertheless has 98% of the density. Spectroscopic studies reveal that there are only trace amounts of hydrogen and other impurity atoms in this novel form of amorphous silicon, this contrasting dramatically with the case of conventional amorphous silicon. The Raman and optical spectroscopic properties of this form of amorphous silicon are contrasted with those of conventional amorphous silicon and sputtered amorphous silicon, and conclusions, regarding the amount of disorder, are drawn. Finally, the device implications of this novel form of amorphous silicon are discussed.

A new excimer laser recrystallization method of amorphous silicon is proposed to increase the grain size and control the grain boundary locations in polycrystalline silicon films. The proposed method is based on the lateral grain growth which occurs at the interface between molten and unmolten regions. To obtain selectively molten regions, the proposed method employs aluminum patterns on amorphous silicon. The aluminum patterns act as the beam shield during the laser irradiation as well as the lateral heat sink during the solidification period. The high reflectance of aluminum at the wavelength of XeCl excimer laser offers stable beam shielding property, and the high thermal conductivity enhances the lateral heat flow by the quick draining of laterally propagated heat. TEM observation has revealed that the well arranged large grains were successfully obtained.

Illumination of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) samples with short (e.g., 40 microsecond) pulses of red light produces a smaller metastable absorption increase in the defect region than continuous illumination of the same intensity for the same integrated exposure time. The defect absorption was measured at 1.3 and 1.4 eV by use of the constant photocurrent method (CPM). This smaller degradation is also observed in the photoconductivity. Careful measurement of the film temperature with several techniques confirm that the film temperature rises by less than 5 °C, under continuous illumination. However, several experiments suggest that the suppressed degradation during pulsed illumination is caused primarily by annealing during the dark time between pulses, even at 15 to 26 °C.

In the early days of point defect studies in electron irradiated crystalline silicon, it was surmised that the Si self-interstitial is highly mobile even at 4 K and escapes direct detection. The existence of self-interstitials has of course been confirmed through the diffusion behaviour of a range of impurities and the direct observation of larger interstitial-type clusters. Against this background, the direct observation of self-interstitials in amorphous Si would seem next to impossible. Yet just such an observation may have been made recently, through a comparison of the high-resolution radial distribution function of pure amorphous Si before and after thermal anneal and that of crystalline Si.

Amorphous silicon photodiode technology is a very attractive option for image array integrated circuits because it enables large die-size reduction and higher light collection efficiency than c-Si arrays. We have developed a photodiode array technology that is fully compatible with a 0.35νm CMOS process to produce image sensors arrays with 10-bit dynamic range that are 30% smaller than comparable c-Si photodiode arrays. The VGA (640x480), array demonstrated here uses common intrinsic and p-type contact layers, and makes reliable contact to those layers by use of a monolithic transparent conductor strap tied to vias in the interconnect. The work presented here will discuss performance issues and solutions that lend themselves to cost-effective high-volume manufacturing. The various methods of interconnection of the diode to the array and their advantages will be presented. The photodiode dark leakage current density is about 80 pA/cm2, and its absolute quantum efficiency peaks about 85% at 550 nm. The effect of doped layer thickness and concentration on quantum efficiency, and the effect of a-Si:H defect concentration on diode performance will be discussed.

We have shown recently that the temperature dependence of the phototransport properties can yield information regarding the state distribution in the forbidden gap of semiconductors. Of these properties the light intensity exponents of both, the majority carriers, γe, and the minority carriers, γh, were found to be very sensitive to the details of this distribution. In particular, noting that sub 1/2 values of the exponents are very unusual we have studied their origin in some a-Si:H materials. Finding experimentally such sub 1/2 values of γh and running computer simulations of the recombination processes in a-Si:H led us to the conclusion that these low values are due to acceptor-like centers which have a relatively high capture coefficient for the holes. We attribute these centers to the unintentional oxygen doping in a-Si:H. We will show that the oxygen presence, usually ignored in the discussions of the phototransport properties of a-Si:H, appears to be, in many cases, the dominant factor in the properties of “intrinsic” a-Si:H.

Direct deposition of polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) thin films by the Hot Wire CVD method has been used for the first time for the fabrication of poly-Si top gate Thin Film Transistors (TFTs). The TFTs have a high electron mobility in saturation of up to 4 cm2V−1s−1 as well as a remarkably large ON/OFF ratio of up to 6 × 105.

Gas-phase and surface reactions of transported species decomposed on the catalyzer were investigated in catalytic CVD (Cat-CVD), often called hot-wire CVD, using a specially designed reactor tube. The phenomena were comparatively studied using H2- or He-diluted SiH4. It turned out that the control of gas flow through the catalyzer between the gas showerhead and the substrate is a key factor to obtain high uniformity in not only the film thickness but also the crystallinity for Si films prepared by Cat-CVD using the gas pressure above about 10 Pa and the gas-flow velocity faster than several m/s.

A new technique for direct determination of the density of electronic states (DOS) in disordered semiconductors is described. It involves Laplace transformation of transient photocurrent data I(t) followed by the numerical solution of the system of linear algebraic equations obtained from the Fredholm integral of the first kind, for a DOS represented by a series of discrete levels. No approximations are used in the solution, and no prior assumptions as to the form of the DOS are made. The fidelity of this method is assessed and compared with existing techniques by application to computer-simulated I(t) data generated from single-level and continuous DOS profiles, and to experimental data.

Dangling bond defects (DB) in silicon microcrystallines and clusters embedded in SiO2 have been studied by X- and Q-band electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. The EPR spectra due to the DB were remarkably depending on the grain size, which was controlled by annealing temperature. The microcrystalline containing film shows a broad and unsymmetrical EPR signal at g = 2.006 with the line width of 13 G in X-band spectra. The signal can be simulated by using the anisotropic g-values of Pb center. The Si cluster samples obtained from the annealing at less than 800°C give an asymmetric EPR spectra at about g = 2.004 with the line width of about 9 G in X-band. The EPR signal due to the E' center was also observed.

A Gas Jet technique has been used to prepare microcrystalline silicon (μc-Si) thin films at deposition rates as high as 20 Å/s. The films have microcrystal sizes between 80 and 120 Å with a heterogeneous microstructure containing regions with columnar growth and other regions with a more randomly oriented microstructure. These materials have been used as i-layers for nip single-junction solar cells. The high deposition rates allow for fabrication of the required thicker μc-Si i-layers in a similar amount of time to those used for high quality a-SiGe:H i-layers (rates of 1-3 Å/s). Using a 610nm cutoff filter which only allows red light to strike the device, pre-light soaked short circuit currents of 8-10 mA/cm2 and 2.7% red-light efficiencies have been obtained while AM1.5 white light efficiencies are above 7%. These efficiencies are higher than those typically obtained for μc-Si cells prepared at the high i-layer growth rates using other deposition techniques. After 1000 h. of light soaking, the efficiencies on average degrade only by 2-5% (stabilized efficiencies of 2.6%) consistent with the expected high stability with the microcrystalline materials. The small amount of degradation compares with the 15-17% degradation in efficiencies for a-SiGe:H cells subjected to similar irradiation treatments (final light-soaked red light efficiencies of 3.2%). Improvements in the cell efficiencies may come through an understanding of the role that columnar microstructure and void structure plays in determining the device performance.

Eu3+ -doped Si/SiO2 nanocomposites were successfully prepared by Ar sputtering deposition on quartz substrates. The optical properties were studied using time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy. Excited by intense picosecond laser pulses with energy greater than1GW/cm2 and wavelength at 532nm the observed photoluminescence consists of a rapidly decaying component with life time of ∼1 s and a slowly component with life time of ∼ 2 ms. The former was recognized as coming from Si/SiO2 nanostructures matrix while the latter as coming from the impurity Eu3+ ions. Using the intense laser excitation a two-photon absorption by silicon matrix occurred, resulting in photo-induced carriers produced in conduction band. A direct recombination from Si/SiO2 nanostructure host gives a weak but fast emission, and creates a large number of nonequilibrium phonon. For Eu3+ emission a set of 5D0 to 7F multiplet transitions were identified. In addition to the direct excitation by 532nm the excited state 5D0 of Eu3+ ions was also found to be populated due to energy transfer from silicon matrix. The mechanism of phonon-assisted energy transfer is discussed.

We report a novel way of reducing the unwanted absorption loss in silicon-oxynitride (SiON) waveguides by replacing nitrogen-hydrogen (N-H) bonds with nitrogen-deuterium (N-D) bonds in an isotope exchange process. D was introduced to SiON layers in an atmospheric D anneal after the deposition of SiON. The deuterated SiON showed a factor of 2 less absorption at 1.51 μm than before the D anneal. This is an additional loss reduction, since a typical pre-anneal in N2 reduces the loss by a factor of 10. Compared to the loss in as-deposited SiON at this wavelength, the loss after D anneal is reduced by a factor of 20. The D annealing temperature varied from 450 to 950 °C. There is a correlation between the loss reduction and the level of isotope exchange in the SiON waveguide, and also, an onset temperature for thermal activation of the isotope exchange. This mechanism is characterized carefully by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS).

Thin film microcrystalline silicon solar cells with absorber layers of various structural composition have been prepared. The highest conversion efficiency is observed at preparation conditions close to the transition to the amorphous growth regime, i.e. crystalline volume fraction is high but not at its maximum. The optimized material consists of crystalline “fibers” with small diameter which extend through the whole absorber layer. On further approach to the transition regime a set in of amorphous growth can be observed, resulting in decreasing solar cell performance. Surprisingly, material prepared under conditions favoring highly crystalline growth exhibits a less efficient carrier extraction if applied to the solar cell. We discuss increasing bulk recombination as possible cause for this observation. The maximum conversion efficiency obtained was 8.7 % for a 1 νm single junction solar cell. Using our optimized deposition conditions with simultaneously higher discharge powers the deposition rate can be increased up to 4.6 Å/s at the high efficiency of 8.3 %.

A new excimer laser annealing method is proposed in order to produce the poly-Si film with low defect density and large grain, by combining the selective Si ionimplantation and excimer laser annealing. Selective Si ion-implantation is employed to form artificial nucleation seeds in a-Si film prior to excimer laser annealing in order to increase the nucleation probability. The grain boundary location in poly-Si film has been controlled through implantation mask, and the grain size around micrometer order is obtained without any other process. TEM result shows that grain boundary is controlled according to mask pattern and the crystallinity of the poly-Si film is improved.

Silicon-carbon alloys were deposited by electron cyclotron resonance chemical vapor deposition (ECR-CVD) using either halogenated or non-halogenated precursors for the Si and C sources. Halogenated precursors were chosen for initial experiments to try to reduce the H content and to improve the microstructure of the silicon carbide (SiCx) films. While a wide range of compositions has been deposited using the halogenated precursors, only a limited range has been deposited so far with the non-halogenated precursors. Electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy show that compositions ranging from near-stoichiometric SiCx to extremely C-rich can be deposited by controlling the deposition temperature, plasma power and C/Si ratio of the halogenated precursors. At the highest C/Si-precursor ratio, the deposited film is electrically conductive with a measured resistivity of 0.067ω-cm, contains only 3-atomic-percent Si and should be considered a Si-doped carbon (C:Si) film. The excellent transparency, especially that of the C:Si films, allowed the assignment of FTIR absorption bands that are usually masked by graphitic inclusions and other impurities. A weak absorption band at 1180cm−1 was found to correlate with the electrical conductivity of the films and was attributed to the asymmetric “bond-and-a-half” Si=C stretch in a Si=C=C functional group where the pi electrons are distributed equally between the three atoms. Additional results show etching of the substrate by reactive Cl from the halogenated precursors can have a dramatic effect on the microstructure, porosity and moisture stability of the films. For experiments involving halogenated precursors, the C:Si films are much more stable than the near-stoichiometric SiCx because C:Si is deposited at lower plasma powers that do not etch the Si substrate. Finally, preliminary results show that near-stoichiometric SiCx films deposited using non-halogenated precursors are much more stable with respect to moisture incorporation than those deposited with halogenated precursors.

Contrary to common belief the technology associated with components and systems for operation in the millimetre and submillimetre or Terahertz (THz) region of the electromagnetic spectrum is mature. However, it has largely been developed for use in the fields of radio astronomy and remote sensing, two areas where size and cost have not been the driving issues. This is changing, both fields now have ambitious plans to put large complex systems into space in experiments such as NASA'a EOS MLS and ESA'a FIRST amongst others. Also, ground based systems such as ALMA are planned where the total number of receivers exceeds 1000. For such instruments cost and size now becomes important. Taking these factors into account for the last decade or so there has been a concerted drive towards smaller and cheaper instrumentation. Initially, the use of quasi-optical systems was implemented in place of waveguide mainly because of its prohibitive manufacturing cost. Quas-ioptical systems are still being developed but waveguide has recently seen a revival due to the use of new micromachining techniques for its fabrication. Planar or integrated circuitry mounted in waveguide has now demonstrated state of the art performance to 2.5THz. Combining these factors means that for the first time the cost of manufacturing high performance RF electronics in the THz region has finally become affordable thereby making it available to new areas of research, material science is one of many. This paper describes how new devices and systems may be implemented to realise the basic building blocks of such instrumentation, namely, detectors and sources.

Two-dimensional (2D) Si quantum dot array was fabricated by oxidation of microcrystalline Si film deposited by photo chemical vapor deposition (photo-CVD). Average size of Si quantum dot was estimated to be 2.4nm and dot density 7 ∼ 8 ×1011 cm−2. Nanocrystal memory device with this 2D quantum dot array demonstrated negative differential resistance characteristics and single charge tunneling phenomena, which was observed as stepwise decrease of gate transconductance. Interface states at the oxidized surface of quantum dots were assumed to explain temperature dependence characteristics. This new process is adequate for functional device application of nanocrystal metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) memory.

The Er local environment of a-Si:H<Er> prepared by PECVD using a metalorganic precursor was determined by EXAFS. We found that in as-deposited samples Er is coordinated to 6 oxygen atoms at 2.28±0.01Å, very similar to Er2O3. Annealing at 420°C hardly affects the Er neighborhood, but higher annealing temperatures (starting at 600°C up to 1033°C) decrease the Er-O separation as much as 0.05Å, maintaining the Er average coordination around 6. This is interpreted as due to the formation of a carbon second neighbor shell. Our results show that the Er local environment is not related with the luminescence enhancement for annealing at moderate temperatures.