Influence of reaction gas flows on the properties of SiGe:H thin film prepared by plasma assisted reactive thermal chemical vapour deposition

A new preparing technology, very high frequency plasma assisted reactive thermal chemical vapour deposition （VHFPA-RTCVD）, is introduced to prepare SiGe：H thin films on substrate kept at a lower temperature. In the previous work, reactive thermal chemical vapour deposition （I^TCVD） technology was successfully used to prepare SiGe：H thin films, but the temperature of the substrate needed to exceed 400℃. In this work, very high frequency plasma method is used to assist RTCVD technology in reducing the temperature of substrate by largely enhancing the temperature of reacting gases on the surface of the substrate. The growth rate, structural properties, surface morphology, photo- conductivity and dark-conductivity of SiGe：H thin films prepared by this new technology are investigated for films with different germanium concentrations, and the experimental results are discussed.

Numerical simulation of a triple-junction thin-film solar cell based on μc-Si_(1-x)Ge_x :H

In this paper, a-Si：H/a-SiGe：H/μc-SiGe：H triple-junction solar cell structure is proposed. By the analyses of mi- croelectronic and photonic structures （AMPS-1D） and our TRJ-F/TRJ-M/TRJ-B tunneling-recombination junction （TRJ） model, the most preferably combined bandgap for this structure is found to be 1.85 eV/1.50 eV/1.0 eV. Using more realistic material properties, optimized thickness combination is investigated. Along this direction, a-Si：H/a-SiGe：H/μc-SiGe：H triple cell with an initial efficiency of 12.09% （Voc = 2.03 V, FF = 0.69, Jsc = 8.63 mA/cm^2, area = 1 cm^2） is achieved in our laboratory.

Influence of the deposition parameters on the transition region of hydrogenated silicon films growth

Hydrogenated microcrystalline and amorphous silicon thin films were prepared by very high frequency plasmaenhanced chemical vapour deposition （VHF PECVD） by using a mixture of silane and hydrogen as source gas. The influence of deposition parameters on the transition region of hydrogenated silicon films growth was investigated by varying the silane concentration （SC）, plasma power （Pw）, working pressure （P）, and substrate temperature （Ts）. Results suggest that SC and Ts are the most critical factors that affect the film structure transition from microcrystalline to amorphous phase. A narrow region in the range of SC and Ts, in which the rapid phase transition takes place, was identified. It was found that at lower P or higher Pw, the transition region is shifted to larger SC. In addition, the dark conductivity and photoconductivity decrease with SC and show sharp changes in the transition region. It proposed that the transition process and the transition region are determined by the competition between the etching effect of atomic hydrogen and the growth of amorphous phase.

Design for SOP AMOLED display panel

A novel full color SOP(system on panel) AMOLED display based on the MIUC polycrystalline silicon TFT technique, and a new control circuit for the panel, which can deal with both VGA and DVI input signals have been developed.To realize gray-scale a sub-frame technique has been designed and implemented by FPGA device,in which an I^2C module has been inserted.Through actual circuit,the whole design has been proven and the advantages of the SOP AMOLED display panel have been confirmed.

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.

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.

Open-circuit voltage analysis of p-i-n type amorphous silicon solar cells deposited at low temperature

This paper identifies the contributions of p-a-SiC：H layers and i-a-Si：H layers to the open circuit voltage of p-i-n type a-Si：H solar cells deposited at a low temperature of 125℃. We find that poor quality p-a-SiC：H films under regular conditions lead to a restriction of open circuit voltage although the band gap of the i-layer varies widely. A significant improvement in open circuit voltage has been obtained by using high quality p-~SiC：H films optimized at the ＂low-power regime＂ under low silane flow rates and high hydrogen dilution conditions.

P-μc-Si_(1-x)Ge_x:H thin film by VHF-PECVD

In this paper, a series of boron doped microcrystalline hydrogenated silicon-germanium (p-μc-Si1-xGex:H) was deposited by very high frequency plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (VHF-PECVD) from SiH4 and GeF4 mixtures. The effect of GeF4 concentration on films' composition, structure and electrical properties was studied. The results show that with the increase of GeF4 concentration, the Ge fraction x increases. The dark conductivity and crystalline volume fraction increase first, and then decrease. When the GC is 4%, p-μc-Si1-xGex:H material with high conductivity, low activation energy (σ = 1.68 S/cm, Eg = 0.047 eV), high crystalline volume fraction (60%) and with an average transmission coefficient over the long wave region reaching 0.9 at the thickness of 72 nm was achieved. The experimental results were discussed in detail.

Evolution of infrared spectra and optical emission spectra in hydrogenated silicon thin films prepared by VHF-PECVD

A series of hydrogenated silicon thin films with varying silane concentrations have been deposited by using very high frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition （VHF-PECVD） method. The deposition process and the silicon thin films are studied by using optical emission spectroscopy （OES） and Fourier transfer infrared （FTIR） spectroscopy, respectively. The results show that when the silane concentration changes from 10% to 1%, the peak frequency of the Si-H stretching mode shifts from 2000 cm-1 to 2100 cm-1, while the peak frequency of the Si-H wagging-rocking mode shifts from 650 cm-1 to 620 cm-1. At the same time the SiH^＊/Ha intensity ratio in the plasma decreases gradually. The evolution of the infrared spectra and the optical emission spectra demonstrates a morphological phase transition from amorphous silicon （a-Si：H） to microcrystalline silicon （μc-Si：H）. The structural evolution and the p-c-SiH formation have been analyzed based on the variation of Ha and SiH^＊ intensities in the plasma. The role of oxygen impurity during the plasma process and in the silicon films is also discussed in this study.

The mechanism of hydrogen plasma passivation for poly-crystalline silicon thin film

The mechanism of hydrogen plasma passivation for poly-crystalline silicon （poly-Si） thin films is investigated by optical emission spectroscopy （OES） combined with Hall mobility, Raman spectra, absorption coefficient spectra, and so on. It is found that different kinds of hydrogen plasma radicals are responsible for passivating different defects in polySi. The Ha with lower energy is mainly responsible for passivating the solid phase crystallization （SPC） poly-Si whose crystallization precursor is deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition （PECVD）. The H＊ with higher energy may passivate the defects related to teh Ni impurity around the grain boundaries more effectively. In addition, Hβ and H7 with the highest energy are required to passivate intra-grain defects in the poly-Si crystallized by SPC but whose precursor is deposited bv low pressure chemical vapor deposition（LPCVD）

Research on the boron contamination at the p/i interface of microcrystalline silicon solar cells deposited in a single PECVD chamber

This paper studies boron contamination at the interface between the p and i layers of μc-Si：H solar cells deposited in a single-chamber PECVD system. The boron depth profile in the i layer was measured by Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy. It is found that the mixed-phase μc-Si：H materials with 40% crystalline volume fraction is easy to be affected by the residual boron in the reactor. The experimental results showed that a 500-nm thick μc-Si：H covering layer or a 30-seconds of hydrogen plasma treatment can effectively reduce the boron contamination at the p/i interface. However, from viewpoint of cost reduction, the hydrogen plasma treatment is desirable for solar cell manufacture because the substrate is not moved during the hydrogen plasma treatment.

Influence of local environment on the intensity of the localized surface plasmon polariton of Ag nanoparticles

A combined Ag nanoparticle with an insulating or conductive layer structure has been designed tor molecular detection using surface enhanced Raman scattering microscopy. Optical absorption studies revealed localized surface plasmon resonance, which shows regular red shift with increasing environmental dielectric constant. With the combined structure of surface enhanced Raman scattering substrates and rhodamine 6C as a test molecule, the results in this paper show that the absorption has a linear relationship with the local electromagnetic field for insulating substrates, and the electrical property of the substrate has a non-negligible effect on the intensity of the local electromagnetic field and hence the Raman enhancement.

Dynamic Ni gettered by PSG from S-MIC poly-Si and its TFTs

A dynamic phosphor-silicate glass （PSG） gettering method is proposed in which the processes of the gettering of Ni by PSC and the crystallizing of α-Si into poly-Si by Ni take place simultaneously. The effects of PSC gettering process on the performances of solution-based metal induced crystallized （S-MIC） poly-Si materials and their thin film transistors （TFTs） are discussed. The crystallization rate is much reduced due to the fact that the Ni as a medium source of crystallization is extracted by the PSC during crystallization at the same time. The boundary between two neighbouring grains in S-MIC poly-Si with PSG looks blurrier than without PSG. Compared with the TFTs made from S-MIC poly-Si without PSC gettering, the TFTs made with PSC gettering has a reduced gate induced leakage current.

A new kind of superimposing morphology for enhancing the light scattering in thin film silicon solar cells： Combining random and periodic structure

In this article, a new type of superimposing morphology comprised of a periodic nanostructure and a random structure is proposed for the first time to enhance the light scattering in silicon-based thin film solar cells. According to the framework of the Reyleigh-Sommerfeld diffraction algorithm and the experimental results of random morphologies, we analyze the light-scattering properties of four superimposing morphologies and compare them with the individual morphologies in detail. The results indicate that the superimposing morphology can offer a better light trapping capacity, owing to the coexistence of the random scattering mechanism and the periodic scattering mechanism. Its scattering property will be dominated by the individual nanostructures whose geometrical features play the leading role.

Solution-based metal induced crystallization of a-Si

This paper investigates a simplified metal induced crystallization （MIC） of a-Si, named solution-based MIC （SMIC）. The nickel inducing source was formed on a-Si from salt solution dissolved in de-ionized water or ethanol, a-Si thin film was deposited with low pressure chemical vapour deposition or plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition as precursor material for MIC. It finds that the content of nickel source formed on a-Si can be controlled by solution concentration and dipping time. The dependence of crystallization rate of a-Si on annealing time illustrated that the linear density of nickel source was another critical factor that affects the crystallization of a-Si, besides the diffusion of nickel disilicide. The highest electron Hall mobility of thus prepared S-MIC poly-Si is 45.6 cm^2/（V· s）. By using this S-MIC poly-Si, thin film transistors and display scan drivers were made, and their characteristics are presented.

The influence of SiNx substrate on crystallinity of μc-Si film used in thin film transistors

This paper found that the crystalline volume ratio （Xc） of μc-Si deposited on SiNx substrate is higher than that on 7059 glass. At the same silane concentration （SC） （for example, at SC=2%）, the Xc of μc-Si deposited on SiNx is more than 64%, but just 44% if deposited on Conning 7059. It considered that the ‘hills＇ on SiNx substrate would promote the crystalline growth of μc-Si thin film, which has been confirmed by atomic force microscope （AFM） observation. Comparing several thin film transistor （TFT） samples whose active-layer were deposited under various SC, this paper found that the appropriate SC for the μc-Si thin film used in TFT as active layer should be more than 2%, and Xc should be around 50%. Additionally, the stability comparison of μc-Si TFT and a-Si TFT is shown in this paper.

Analysis of heating effect on the process of high deposition rate microcrystalline silicon

A possible heating effect on the process of high deposition rate microcrystalline silicon has been studied. It includes the discharge time-accumulating heating effect, discharge power, inter-electrode distance, and total gas flow rate induced heating effect. It is found that the heating effects mentioned above are in some ways quite similar to and in other ways very different from each other. However, all of them will directly or indirectly cause the increase of the substrate surface temperature during the process of depositing microcrystalline silicon thin films, which will affect the properties of the materials with increasing time. This phenomenon is very serious for the high deposition rate of microcrystalline silicon thin films because of the high input power and the relatively small inter-electrode distance needed. Through analysis of the heating effects occurring in the process of depositing microcrystalline silicon, it is proposed that the discharge power and the heating temperature should be as low as possible, and the total gas flow rate and the inter-electrode distance should be suitable so that device-grade high quality deposition rate microcrystalline silicon thin films can be fabricated.

Improving light trapping and conversion efficiency of amorphous silicon solar cell by modified and randomly distributed ZnO nanorods

Three-dimensional （3D） nanostructures in thin film solar cells have attracted significant attention due to their appli- cations in enhancing light trapping. Enhanced light trapping can result in more effective absorption in solar cells, thus leading to higher short-circuit current density and conversion efficiency. We develop randomly distributed and modified ZnO nanorods, which are designed and fabricated by the following processes： the deposition of a ZnO seed layer on sub- strate with sputtering, the wet chemical etching of the seed layer to form isolated islands for nanorod growth, the chemical bath deposition of the ZnO nanorods, and the sputtering deposition of a thin Al-doped ZnO （ZnO：Al） layer to improve the ZnO/Si interface. Solar cells employing the modified ZnO nanorod substrate show a considerable increase in solar energy conversion efficiency.

The Influence of PbI₂on Characteristic of Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Perovskite Thin Films

Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite materials have attracted significant research efforts because of their outstanding properties. Meanwhile the crystallization of organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite materials can significantly influence the films quality. Here, we research the influence of the characteristics of PbI2 thin film on final perovskite films and the mechanisms of film formation based on the two-step sequential deposition method. We found that the characteristics of PbI2 thin film, such as the grain size, the grain shape, the surface roughness and the film densification, have significant effects on the final perovskite films due to different film crystallization process. According to the analysis on the characteristics of the perovskite films obtained from different PbI2precursor, we suggested that the formation of perovskite film begins from the PbI2 crystals expanding when they are converted to MAPbI3 perovskite by migration of MA+ cations from the grain boundaries.

Hydrothermal synthesis of hexagonal-phase NaYF_4:Er,Yb with different shapes for application as photovoltaic up-converters

Hexagonal β-NaYF4 co-doped with Yb3＋ and Er3＋ is directly synthesized under mild conditions using a hydrothermal method.The variation of the ratio of Ln3＋ to F-and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid（EDTA） causes the shape of the microcrystal to change from microplate to microcolumn.The NaYF4 powder is mixed with polydimethylsiloxane（PDMS） to create an up-converter for thin film amorphous silicon solar cells so as to evaluate the effectiveness of the synthesized material as an up-converter.In order to overcome the difficulty in measuring the effectiveness of up-conversion material,a new method of using near infrared illumination to measure the short circuit current densities of solar cells both with and without up-converters is developed.An up-converter with pure hexagonal NaYF4：Yb3＋/Er3＋ microcrystal produces a high current output.Emission intensity data obtained by photoluminescence suggest that pure hexagonal NaYF4：Yb3＋/Er3＋ microcrystals are more efficient than nanocrystals when used as up-converting phosphors.