Properties of hydrogenated amorphous silicon prepared by chemical vapor deposition

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) films were prepared by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) from mixtures of silane, disilane, trisilane, and higher polysilanes in hydrogen carrier gas at 1 atm total pressure, at substrate temperatures from 420–530 °C. Experimental parameters are explained and properties as a function of these parameters are shown. The measurements include hydrogen content (by IR), optical, electrical, and photovoltaic properties of the material. In most respects, the CVD material closely resembles the a-Si:H usually prepared by glow discharge. The following differences have been noted: (1) the CVD a-Si:H shows no IR absorption at 840–850 cm−1, which is consistent with the expected better thermal stability of the CVD material because of the much higher substrate temperatures in the CVD process than in the glow discharge process. (2) The band gap of CVD a-Si:H is lower by about 0.1 eV than glow discharge a-Si:H of the same hydrogen content. Thus, the band gap of CVD a-Si:H is better matched to the solar spectrum than is glow discharge a-Si:H. (3) All three IR absorption bands due to hydrogen are about 20% narrower in the CVD a-Si:H, suggesting a simpler structure. (4) The temperature dependence of the dark conductivity of CVD a-Si:H fits a curve for a single activation energy, in contrast to the more complicated temperature dependence often found in glow discharge a-Si:H, in which two different activation energies are seen at high and low temperatures. This suggests that the conduction mechanism is also simpler in the CVD a-Si:H. (5) The growth rates of good-quality CVD films are much higher (up to about 100 Å/s) than are typical of the glow discharge method.