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The Effect of Water Vapor and Oxygen in the Processing Environment on the Properties of Sputtered a-Si:H Films

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 February 2011

Cheng Wang
Affiliation:
Departments of Physics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695
G. N. Parsons
Affiliation:
Departments of Physics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695
G. Lucovsky
Affiliation:
Departments of Physics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695
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Abstract

A systematic study of the effect of the trace impurity of oxygen and water vapor in the processing environment on the infra-red (IR), optical and electrical properties, and defect density of sputtered a-Si:H films is reported. The results are that small contents of water introduced into the argon plasma extract H-atoms from the growth surface, thereby reducing total hydrogen content and polyhydride formation in films deposited at low substrate temperatures, <150°C. This leads to a decrease of the defect density, and hence, to improvements in the photoconductivity (Δσ) and the associated quantum efficiency-mobility-lifetime(ημτ) product.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1989

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References

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