Optical absorption enhancement of μc-SiGe:H films deposited via high pressure and high power

Abstract

Hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon-germanium (μc-SiGe:H) films are fabricated by radio-frequency plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (RF-PECVD). The optical absorption coefficient and the photosensitivity of the μc-SiGe:H films increase dramatically by increasing the plasma power and deposition pressure simultaneously. Additionally, the microstructural properties of the μc-SiGe:H films are also studied. By combining Raman, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and X-ray fluoroscopy (XRF) measurements, it is shown that the Ge-bonding configuration and compactability of the μc-SiGe:H thin films play a crucial role in enhancing the optical absorption and optimizing the quality of the films via a significant reduction in the defect density.

Keywords

Optical Absorption / Defect Density / Plasma Power / Deposition Pressure / Silane Molecule

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This work has been supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (Nos.2011CBA00705, 2011CBA00706 and 2011CBA00707), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.61377031), the Natural Science Foundation of Tianjin (No.12JCQNJC01000) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities.