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

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 ($μ$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.