Abstract
We have investigated the effect of negative substrate bias on microcrystalline silicon films deposited on glass and stainless steel by hot-wire chemical vapor deposition (HWCVD) to gain insight into the effect of negative substrate bias on crystallization. Structural characterization of the silicon films was performed by Raman spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. It was found that the crystallinity of the films is obviously improved by applying the substrate bias, especially for films on stainless steel. At hot-wire temperature of 1800°C and negative substrate bias of −800 V, grain size as large as 200 nm was obtained on stainless-steel substrate with crystalline fraction 9% higher than that of films deposited on glass and 15% higher than that of films deposited without substrate bias. It is deduced that the improvement of the crystallinity is mainly related to the accelerated electrons emitted from the hot wires. The differences in this improvement between different substrates are caused by the different electrical potential of the substrates. A solar cell fabricated by HWCVD with −800 V substrate bias is demonstrated, showing an obviously higher conversion efficiency than that without substrate bias.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Explore related subjects
Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
S.D. Brotherton, J.R. Ayres, M.J. Edwards, C.A. Fisher, C. Glaister, J.P. Gowers, D.J. McCulloch, and M. Trainor, Thin Solid Films 337, 188 (1999).
I. Gordon, D. Van Gestel, K. Van Nieuwenhuysen, L. Carnel, G. Beaucarne, and J. Poortmans, Thin Solid Films 487, 113 (2005).
M.B. Park and N.H. Cho, Appl. Surf. Sci. 190, 151 (2002).
J.H. Shim, S. Im, and N.H. Cho, Appl. Surf. Sci. 234, 268 (2004).
A.M. Wu, W.T. Deng, F.W. Qin, B.H. Li, J. Lassaut, X. Jiang, and C. Dong, Sci. China Ser. E 52, 260 (2009).
J.K. Rath, A.J. Hardeman, C.H.M. van der Werf, P.A.T.T. van Veenendaal, M.Y.S. Rusche, and R.E.I. Schropp, Thin Solid Films 430, 67 (2003).
S.Y. Lien, H.Y. Mao, B.R. Wu, R.H. Horng, and D.S. Wuu, Chem. Vap. Depos. 13, 247 (2007).
H.Y. Mao, D.S. Wuu, B.R. Wu, S.Y. Lo, and R.H. Horng, Mater. Chem. Phys. 126, 665 (2011).
H.J. Jia, J.K. Saha, N. Ohse, H. Shirai, and J. Phys. D Appl. Phys. 39, 3844 (2006).
H.J. Jia, H. Shirai, and M. Kondo, J. Appl. Phys. 101, 114912 (2007).
N. Kosku, H. Murakami, S. Higashi, and S. Miyazaki, Appl. Surf. Sci. 244, 39 (2005).
E. Johnson, N. Kherani, and S. Zukotynski, J. Mater. Sci. 17, 801 (2006).
S. Lebib and P.R. i Cabarrocas, J. Appl. Phys. 97, 104334 (2005).
R. Nozawa, H. Takeda, M. Ito, M. Hori, and T. Goto, J. Appl. Phys. 81, 8035 (1997).
H.S. Tae, S.H. Hwang, S.J. Park, E. Yoon, and K.W. Whang, J. Appl. Phys. 78, 4112 (1995).
D. Raha and D. Das, Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells 95, 3181 (2011).
Q. Wang, Thin Solid Films 517, 3570 (2009).
D.K. Lee, Y.B. Chung, J.K. Kim, and N.M. Hwang, J. Cryst. Growth 310, 4368 (2008).
J.I. Lee and N.M. Hwang, J. Cryst. Growth 310, 3668 (2008).
B.P. Swain and N.M. Hwang, Solid State Sci. 11, 467 (2009).
C. Becker, F. Ruske, T. Sontheimer, B. Gorka, U. Bloeck, S. Gall, and B. Rech, J. Appl. Phys. 106, 084506 (2009).
Q.J. Chen and Z.D. Lin, Appl. Phys. Lett. 68, 2450 (1996).
Q.J. Chen, J. Yang, and Z.D. Lin, Appl. Phys. Lett. 67, 1853 (1995).
C.S. Cojocaru, D. Kim, D. Pribat, and J.E. Bourée, Thin Solid Films 501, 227 (2006).
F. Le Normand, M. Gulas, P. Veis, C.S. Cojocaru, and J.E. Bourée, Thin Solid Films 517, 3466 (2009).
R.I. Cherry and T. Whitmore, Appl. Phys. Lett. 67, 3040 (1995).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Zhang, L., Shen, H. & You, J. Improvement of the Crystallinity of Silicon Films Deposited by Hot-Wire Chemical Vapor Deposition with Negative Substrate Bias. J. Electron. Mater. 42, 2464–2469 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-013-2608-x
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-013-2608-x