Studies on optical signal due to oxygen effect on hydrogenated amorphous/crystalline silicon thin-films

TL;DR

This study investigates how oxygen affects the structural and optical properties of hydrogenated silicon films, highlighting their potential for solar cells and light-emitting devices through various spectroscopic analyses.

Contribution

It provides a comparative analysis of different hydrogenated silicon films, revealing the influence of oxygen on their structure and optical properties, and demonstrating their suitability for solar and optoelectronic applications.

Findings

Oxygen incorporation enhances optical band gap to 1.83 eV.

Strong photoluminescence at 2.0 eV indicates potential for light-emitting devices.

Structural differences due to H dilution significantly affect optical properties.

Abstract

We have studied the effects of oxygen on hydrogenated amorphous/crystalline silicon films in terms of their structural and optical properties. Different hydrogenated silicon oxide (SiO:H) and silicon (Si:H) films are fabricated between microcrystalline and amorphous transition region. X-ray diffraction, Raman, FTIR and UV-Vis emission spectrometry have been used to characterize different films. A comparison of the results with those of different types of films like hydrogenated amorphous silicon oxide (a-SiO:H), hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) and microcrystalline silicon ($\mu$c-Si:H) films reveal their superiority as an excellent substance for solar cell. X-ray diffraction, FTIR and Raman spectral analysis show that difference of the H dilution effect has a major effect on the structure of the film and the optical properties. Photoluminescence analysis of amorphous silicon-oxygen and silicon-hydride alloy films has established their efficient application appropriate as Si based light emitting devices. A large optical band gap of 1.83 eV and appearance of strong photo luminescence at 2.0 eV validates the applicability of a-SiO:H film as a better alternative for the solar cells.