Comparison of the properties of hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon films deposited by photo–chemical-vapor deposition and glow-discharge deposition processes

Hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon (μc-Si:H) films were prepared by mercury-sensitized photo–chemical-vapor deposition (photo-CVD) and glow-discharge (GD) processes from a mixture of silane and hydrogen. The variation of the growth rate, crystallinity, conductivity, and absorption coefficient with the substrate temperature, chamber pressure, and power density were studied. Highly conducting films having dark conductivity (σD)∼1×10−3 S cm−1 and ∼8.7×10−3 S cm−1 were obtained by the photo-CVD and GD deposition processes, respectively. The merits of the photo-CVD method over the GD process for the deposition of μc-Si:H films for solar-cell application are highlighted.