- - - Plasma Science and Technology Laboratory, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
- - - Plasma Science and Technology Laboratory, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
- - - Physics of Energy Harvesting Division, National Physical Laboratory

AbstractDifferent optical characterization techniques have been performed on a series of microcrystalline silicon thin films deposited using very high-frequency-assisted plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition process. The constant photocurrent method has been employed to study the defects states in density of states spectra of hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon thin films. The photocurrent measurements demonstrate anisotropy in the optoelectronic properties of the material. We have analyzed the optical absorption coefficient from UV spectroscopy and with the help of constant photocurrent method. The spectra have been analyzed in broad region and are presented for both the cases, i.e., surface and bulk light scatterings. The spectra were interpreted in terms of disorder, resulting defect density, crystalline/amorphous volume fractions and material morphology. The subgap-related parameters such as absorption coefficient, characteristic energy E۰ of tail states and density of subgap defect states together with an estimate of the bandgap of silicon films prepared at various crystalline fractions have also been estimated. The density of localized tail states is found to fall exponentially toward the gap with band tail width of about ۱۱۰ meV.

Microcrystalline silicon thin films, Constant photocurrent method, PECVD, Optical absorption coefficient, Density of states