Fabrication of Hydrogenated Microcrystalline Silicon Thin Films at Low Temperature by VHF-PECVD

Using H 2 diluted silane,series of μc Si∶H films are fabricated at low temperature with VHF PECVD.The thickness measurements reveal that the deposition rates are obviously enhanced with higher plasma excitation frequency or working pressure,but increase firstly and then decrease with the increase of plasma power density.Raman spectra show that the crystallinity and the average grain sizes of the films strongly depend on the temperature of substrate and the concentration of silane.However,the plasma excitation frequency only has effect on the crystallinity,and a maximum occurs during the further increase of plasma excitation frequency.From XRD and TEM experiments,three preferential crystalline orientations (111),(220) and (311) are observed,and the average grain sizes are different for every crystalline orientation.

Properties of oxide films grown on 25Cr20Ni alloy in air-H_2O and H_2-H_2O atmospheres

The oxidation kinetics,surface morphology and phase structure of oxide films grown on 25Cr20Ni alloy in air-H2O and H2-H2O atmospheres at 900 ℃ for 20 h were investigated.The anti-coking performance and resistance to carburization of the two oxide films were compared using 25Cr20Ni alloy tubes with an inner diameter of 10 mm and a length of 850 mm in a bench scale naphtha steam pyrolysis unit.The oxidation kinetics followed a parabolic law in an air-H2O atmosphere and a logarithm law in a H2-H2O atmosphere in the steady-state stage.The oxide film grown in the air-H2O atmosphere had cracks where the elements Fe and Ni were enriched and the un-cracked area was covered with octahedral-shaped MnCr2O4 spinels and Cr1.3Fe0.7O3 oxide clusters,while the oxide film grown in the H2-H2O atmosphere was intact and completely covered with dense standing blade MnCr2O4 spinels.In the pyrolysis tests,the anti-coking performance and resistance to carburization of the oxide film grown in the H2-H2O atmosphere were far better than that in the air-H2O atmosphere.The mass of coke formed in the oxide film grown in the H2-H2O atmosphere was less than 10％ of that in the air-H2O atmosphere.The Cr1.3Fe0.7O3 oxide clusters converted into Cr23C6 carbides and the cracks were filled with carbon in the oxide film grown in the air-H2O atmosphere after repeated coking and decoking tests,while the dense standing blade MnCr2O4 spinels remained unchanged in the oxide film grown in the H2-H2O atmosphere.The ethylene,propylene and butadiene yields in the pyrolysis tests were almost the same for the two oxide films.

Method of measuring one-dimensional photonic crystal period-structure-film thickness based on Bloch surface wave enhanced Goos–H?nchen shift

This paper puts forward a novel method of measuring the thin period-structure-film thickness based on the Bloch surface wave(BSW) enhanced Goos–Hanchen(GH) shift in one-dimensional photonic crystal(1DPC). The BSW phenomenon appearing in 1DPC enhances the GH shift generated in the attenuated total internal reflection structure. The GH shift is closely related to the thickness of the film which is composed of layer-structure of 1DPC. The GH shifts under multiple different incident light conditions will be obtained by varying the wavelength and angle of the measured light, and the thickness distribution of the entire structure of 1DPC is calculated by the particle swarm optimization(PSO) algorithm.The relationship between the structure of a 1DPC film composed of TiO_(2) and SiO_(2) layers and the GH shift, is investigated.Under the specific photonic crystal structure and incident conditions, a giant GH shift, 5.1 × 10^(3) times the wavelength of incidence, can be obtained theoretically. Simulation and calculation results show that the thickness of termination layer and periodic structure bilayer of 1DPC film with 0.1-nm resolution can be obtained by measuring the GH shifts. The exact structure of a 1DPC film is innovatively measured by the BSW-enhanced GH shift.

Research on the optimum hydrogenated silicon thin films for application in solar cells

Hydrogenated silicon （Si：H） thin films for application in solar ceils were deposited by using very high frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition （VHF PECVD） at a substrate temperature of about 170 ℃, The electrical, structural, and optical properties of the films were investigated. The deposited films were then applied as i-layers for p-i-n single junction solar cells. The current-voltage （I - V） characteristics of the cells were measured before and after the light soaking. The results suggest that the films deposited near the transition region have an optimum properties for application in solar cells. The cell with an i-layer prepared near the transition region shows the best stable performance.

High-Pressure Plasma Deposition of a-C:H Films by Dielectric-Barrier Discharge

The fabrication of a-C:H films from methane has been performed using dielectric-barrier discharges at atmospheric pressure. The effect of combined-feed gas, such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide or acetylene on the formation of a-C:H films has been investigated. It has been demonstrated that the addition of carbon monoxide or acetylene into methane leads to a remarkable improvement in the fabrication of a-C:H films. The characterization of carbon film obtained has been conducted using FT-IR, Raman and SEM.

Fabrication and characterization of iron and iron carbide thin films by plasma enhanced pulsed chemical vapor deposition

A new pulsed chemical vapor deposition（PCVD） process has been developed to fabricate iron（Fe） and iron carbide(Fe1-xCx) thin films at low temperature range from 150 ℃ to 230 ℃.The process employs bis（1,4-di-tert-butyl-1,3-diazabutadienyl）iron（Ⅱ） as iron source and hydrogen gas or hydrogen plasma as the coreactant.The films deposited with hydrogen gas are demonstrated polycrystalline with body-centered cubic Fe.However,for the films deposited with hydrogen plasma,the amorphous phase of iron carbide is obtained.The influence of the deposition temperature on iron and iron carbide characteristics have been investigated.

Study on stability of hydrogenated amorphous silicon films

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon （a-Si：H） films with high and same order of magnitude photosensitivity （-10^5） but different stability were prepared by using microwave electron cyclotron resonance chemical vapour deposition system under the different deposition conditions. It was proposed that there was no direct correlation between the photosensitivity and the hydrogen content （CH） as well as H-Si bonding configurations, but for the stability, they were the critical factors. The experimental results indicated that higher substrate temperature, hydrogen dilution ratio and lower deposition rate played an important role in improving the microstructure of a-Si：H films. We used hydrogen elimination model to explain our experimental results.

Effect of substrate temperature on the growth and properties of boron-doped microcrystalline silicon films

Highly conductive boron-doped hydrogenated mieroerystalline silicon （μc-Si：H） films are prepared by very high frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition （VHF PECVD） at the substrate temperatures （Ts） ranging from 90℃ to 270℃. The effects of Ts on the growth and properties of the films are investigated. Results indicate that the growth rate, the electrical （dark conductivity, carrier concentration and Hall mobility） and structural （crystallinity and grain size） properties are all strongly dependent on Ts. As Ts increases, it is observed that 1） the growth rate initially increases and then arrives at a maximum value of 13.3 nm/min at Ts=210℃, 2） the crystalline volume fraction （Xc） and the grain size increase initially, then reach their maximum values at TS=140℃, and finally decrease, 3） the dark conductivity （σd）, carrier concentration and Hall mobility have a similar dependence on Ts and arrive at their maximum values at Ts-190℃. In addition, it is also observed that at a lower substrate temperature Ts, a higher dopant concentration is required in order to obtain a maximum σd.

Optical Characterization of Amorphous Hydrogenated Carbon(a-C:H)Thin Films Prepared by Single RF Plasma Method

Methane （CH4） plasma was used to produce amorphous hydrogenated carbon （a- C：H） films by a single capacitively coupled radio frequency （RF） powered plasma system. The system consists of two parallel electrodes： the upper electrode is connected to 13.56 MHz RF power and the lower one is connected to the ground. Thin films were deposited on glass slides with different sizes and on silicon wafers. The influence of the plasma species on film characteristics was studied by changing the plasma parameters. The changes of plasma species during the deposition were investigated by optical emission spectroscopy （OES）. The structural and optical properties were analyzed via Fourier transform infrared （FTIR） spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction （XRD） and UV-visible spectroscopy, and the thicknesses of the samples were measured by a profilometer. The sp3/sp2 ratio and the existing H atoms play a significant role in the determination of the chemical properties of thin films in the plasma. The film quality and deposition rate were both increased by raising the power and the flow rate.

A Comparative Study of Boron and Phosphorus Doping Effects in SiC: H Films Prepared by ECR-CVD

Hydrogenated silicon carbide films (SiC:H) were deposited using the electron cyclotron resonance chemical vapour deposition (ECR-CVD) technique from a mixture of methane, silane and hydrogen, and using diborane and phosphine as doping gases. The effects of changes in the microwave power on the deposition rate and optical bandgap were investigated, and variations in the photoand dark-conductivities and activation energy were studied in conjunction with film analysis using the Raman scattering technique. In the case of boron-doped samples, the conductivity increased rapidly to a maximum, followed by rapid reduction at high microwave power. The ratio of the photo- to dark-conductivity (σph/σd) peaked at microwave power of ~600 W. Under conditions of high microwave power, Raman scattering analysis showed evidence of the formation and increase in the silicon microcrystalline and diamond-like phases in the films, the former of which could account for the rapid increase and the latter the subsequent decrease in the conductivity.In the case of phosphorusdoped SiC:H samples, it was found that increase in the microwave power has the effect of enhancing the formation of the silicon microcrystalline phase in the films which occurred in correspondence to a rapid increase in the conductivity and reduction in the activation energy The conductivity increase stabilised in samples deposited at microwave power exceeding 500 W probably as a result of dopant saturation. Results from Raman scattering measurements also showed that phosphorus doping had the effect of enhancing the formation of the silicon microcrystals in the film whereas the presence of boron had the effect of preserving the amorphous structure.

The Effect of Pressure on the Dissociation of H_2/CH_4Gas Mixture during Diamond Films Growth via Chemical Vapor Deposition

Monte Carlo simulations are adopted to study the electron motion in the mixture of H2 and CH4 during diamond synthesis via Glow Plasma-assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition (GPCVD). The non-uniform electric field is used and the avalanche of electrons is taken into account in this simulation. The average energy distribution of electrons and the space distribution of effective species such as CH3, CH+3, CH+ and H at various gas pressures are given in this paper, and optimum experimental conditions are inferred from these results.

Carrier transport characteristics of H-terminated diamond films prepared using molecular hydrogen and atomic hydrogen

The H-terminated diamond films, which exhibit high surface conductivity, have been used in high-frequency and high-power electronic devices. In this paper, the surface conductive channel on specimens from the same diamond film was obtained by hydrogen plasma treatment and by heating under a hydrogen atmosphere, respectively, and the surface carrier transport characteristics of both samples were compared and evaluated. The results show that the carrier mobility and carrier density of the sample treated by hydrogen plasma are 15 cm^2·V^（-1）·s^（-1） and greater than 5 × 1012 cm^（-2）, respectively, and that the carrier mobilities measured at five different areas are similar. Compared to the hydrogen-plasma-treated specimen, the thermally hydrogenated specimen exhibits a lower surface conductivity, a carrier density one order of magnitude lower, and a carrier mobility that varies from 2 to 33 cm^2·V^（-1）·s^（-1）. The activated hydrogen atoms restructure the diamond surface, remove the scratches, and passivate the surface states via the etching effect during the hydrogen plasma treatment process, which maintains a higher carrier density and a more stable carrier mobility.

Structural Un-uniformity and Electrical Anisotropy of μc-Si:H Films

Structural un-uniformity and electrical anisotropy of μc-Si∶H film are investigated in this paper. It is found that the structure of μc-Si∶H film along the direction perpendicular to the substrate is not uniform, which is modulated by film thickness. In addition, there is a dark conductivity anisotropy along the direction parallel(σ∥) and perpendicular(σ⊥)to the substrate in μc-Si∶H film. The reasons for such an property of μc-Si∶H film and the effect of oxygen contamination are analyzed.

INVESTIGATION ON DEPOSITIONS AND HARDNESS CHARACTERISTICS OF a-SiC:H FILMS

In this paper, a deposition feature of a SiC:H films deposited by a RF sputtering system and a effect on the hardness of the films with various deposition conditions are investigated, and the effects of the silicon on a C:H are studied. It follows from the results that the properties of hardness can be changed with the depositing conditions. An increase of silane in the gas phase allows to deposit a SiC:H having tetrahedral structure. The sets of deposition conditions by which the different types of a SiC:H films can be deposited are obtained.

Effects of deposition pressure and plasma power on the growth and properties of boron-doped microcrystalline silicon films

Using diborane as doping gas, p-doped μc-Si：H layers are deposited by using the plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition （PECVD） technology. The effects of deposition pressure and plasma power on the growth and the properties of μc-Si：H layers are investigated. The results show that the deposition rate, the electrical and the structural properties are all strongly dependent on deposition pressure and plasma power. Boron-doped μc-Si：H films with a dark conductivity as high as 1.42 Ω^-1·cm^-1 and a crystallinity of above 50% are obtained. With this p-layer, μc-Si：H solar cells are fabricated. In addition, the mechanism for the effects of deposition pressure and plasma power on the growth and the properties of boron-doped μc-Si：H layers is discussed.

Properties of Boron-doped μc-Ge:H Films Deposited by Hot-wire CVD

Boron-doped hydrogenated microcrystalline Germanium （lac-Ge：H） films were deposited by hot-wire CVD. H2 diluted G-ell4 and B2H6 were used as precursors and the substrate temperature was kept at 300 ℃. The properties of the samples were analyzed by XRD, Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectrometer and Hall Effect measurement with Van der Pauw method. It is found that the films are partially crystallized, with crystalline fractions larger than 45% and grain sizes smaller than 50 nm. The B-doping can enhance the crystallization but reduce the grain sizes, and also enhance the preferential growth of Ge （220）. The conductivity of the films increases and tends to be saturated with increasing diborane-to-germane ratio RB2H6. All the Hall mobilities of the samples are larger than 3.8 cmZV-1·s-1. A high conductivity of

Preparation and Properties of a-Si:H Thin Films Deposited on Different Substrates

The effects of different substrates on the structure and hydrogen evolution from a-Si： H thin films deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition were studied, as well as the similar films exposed to an hydrogen plasma. Spectroscopic ellipsometry and hydrogen evolution measurements were used to analyse the effects of the substrate and hydrogen plasma on the films microstructure, thickness, hydrogen content, hydrogen bonding and hydrogen evolution. The hydrogen evolution spectra show a strong substrate dependence. In particular on crystalline silicon substrate, the formation of bubbles was observed. For different substrates, hydrogen plasma treatments lightly affected the hydrogen evolution spectra. These results indicate that the action of hydrogen in a-Si：H was modified by the nature of the substrate.

Effect of Film Thickness on Properties of a-Si∶H Films

The a-Si∶H films with different thickness smaller than 1 μm were deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) under the optimum deposition conditions. The effect of different thickness on film properties is analyzed.The results show that,with the increase of the film thickness,the dark conductivity, photoconductivity and threshold voltage increase, the optical gap and peak ratio of TA to TO in the Raman spectra decrease, the refractive index keeps almost constant, and the optical absorption coefficient and current ratio of on/off state first maximize and then reduce.

Infrared and Optical Properties of Amorphous Fluorinated Hydrocarbon Films Deposited with the Method of ECR Plasma

Using CH4 and CF4 precursor gases, amorphous fluorinated hydrocarbon (a-C:F:H) films were prepared with the method of microwave electronic cyclotron resonant (ECR) plasma chemical vapor deposition. Deposition rate of the film firstly increases and then decreases with variable flow ratios R {[CF4]/([CF4] + [CH4]} due to the competition between deposition and etching process. Results from Fourier-transform infrared transmission spectroscopy of these films show that C-F bond configuration in a-C:F:H films evolves with the variable gas flow ratios R. The locations of the C-F peaks in IR spectra shift to higher frequency with the increase of R, and finally the structure in films with R >75% takes on a PTFE-like structure, which mainly consists of -CF2- chain. The change of optical band gap Eg deduced by a Tauc plot with R is also discussed.

Role of Hydrogen Dilution in the Low-Temperature Growth of Nanocrystalline Si:H Thin Films from siH_4/H_2 Mixture

Hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon thin films were fabricated from Sill4 with H2 dilution at a low substrate temperature of 200℃ by the conventional plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique. A high deposition rate over 0.75 nm/s can be achieved. Raman scattering spectral measurements revealed that the crystalline fraction and grain size increased with the increase in hydrogen dilution ratio. Fourier transform infrared spectrum measurements showed that the hydrogen content decreased and the Si-H bonding configuration changed mainly from Sill to Sill2 with the increase in hydrogen dilution ratio. This suggested that the hydrogen dilution played an important role in the low-temperature growth of nanocrystalline silicon thin film. The growth mechanism is discussed in terms of a surface diffusion model and hydrogen etching effects.