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Microcrystalline Silicon - Relation of Transport Properties and Microstructure

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2011

J. Kočka ,
A. Fejfar ,
V. Vorlíček ,
H. Stuchlíková  and
J. Stuchlík
J. Kočka
Affiliation:
Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Cukrovarnická 10, 162 53 Prague 6, Czech Republic phone: +420-2-24311137, fax: +420-2-3123184, e-mail:, kocka@fzu.cz
A. Fejfar
Affiliation:
Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Cukrovarnická 10, 162 53 Prague 6, Czech Republic phone: +420-2-24311137, fax: +420-2-3123184, e-mail:, kocka@fzu.cz
V. Vorlíček
Affiliation:
Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Cukrovarnická 10, 162 53 Prague 6, Czech Republic phone: +420-2-24311137, fax: +420-2-3123184, e-mail:, kocka@fzu.cz
H. Stuchlíková
Affiliation:
Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Cukrovarnická 10, 162 53 Prague 6, Czech Republic phone: +420-2-24311137, fax: +420-2-3123184, e-mail:, kocka@fzu.cz
J. Stuchlík
Affiliation:
Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Cukrovarnická 10, 162 53 Prague 6, Czech Republic phone: +420-2-24311137, fax: +420-2-3123184, e-mail:, kocka@fzu.cz
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Abstract

Understanding of transport in hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon (μc-Si:H) is difficult due to its complicated microstructure (grains, grain boundaries, amorphous tissue). μc-Si:H layers often exhibit preferential orientation leading to transport anisotropy. Furthermore, specific μc-Si:H growth features lead to the thickness dependence of the structure and properties.

μc-Si:H incubation layer was studied by AFM with conductive cantilever measuring simultaneously morphology and local conductivity maps with submicron resolution. Clear identification of Si crystallites (with size of few tens of nanometers) is demonstrated. The crystalline fraction at the surface may be easily evaluated.

For the charge collection in solar cells we need to study transport perpendicular to the substrate. Measurement of frequency spectra of A.C. conductivity is introduced as a new tool which can exclude the influence of contact barriers in sandwich geometry and can be used for finding the “true” conductivity perpendicular to the substrate. Using this technique transport anisotropy in some μc-Si:H samples was clearly demonstrated.

Finally, it is shown how the transport properties change with growing μc-Si:H thickness and how these changes correlate with the structure observed by AFM.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 557: Symposium A – Amorphous and Heterogeneous Silicon Thin Films—Fundamentals to Devices—1999 , 1999 , 483
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1999

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