Intrinsic microcrystalline silicon by postgrowth anneals

초록

Hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon (μc-Si:H) grown by a conventional plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition from high hydrogen-diluted silane was annealed by increasing the temperature from 25 to 450 °C at a constant rate of 12 °C/min (one annealing cycle). Dark-conductivity activation energy gradually increases with increasing the number of annealing cycle to a saturation value of about 0.6 eV, observed in truly intrinsic μc-Si:H films. For the saturated state, the dark conductivity of the order of 10-8 S/cm was obtained. Little or no change in the oxygen content was observed after the annealing.