M.V. Khenkin

Visible luminescence from hydrogenated amorphous silicon modified by femtosecond laser radiation

Visible luminescence is observed from the composite of SiO2 with embedded silicon nanocrystallites produced by femtosecond laser irradiation of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) film in air. The photoluminescence originates from the defect states at the interface between silicon crystallites and SiO2 matrix. The method could be used for fabrication of luminescent layers to increase energy conversion of a-Si:H solar cells.

Effect of the femtosecond laser treatment of hydrogenated amorphous silicon films on their structural, optical, and photoelectric properties

The effect of the femtosecond laser treatment of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) films on their structural, optical, and photoelectric properties is studied. Under the experimental conditions applied in the study, laser treatment of the film with different radiation intensities induces structural changes that are nonuniform over the film surface. An increase in the radiation intensity yields an increase in the contribution of the nanocrystalline phase to the structure, averaged over the sample surface, as well as an increase in the conductance and photoconductance of the samples. At the same time, for all of the samples, the absorption spectrum obtained by the constant-photocurrent method has a shape typical for those of amorphous silicon. Obtained results indicate the possibility of a-Si:H films photoconductance increase by femtosecond pulse laser treatment.

Giant birefringence and dichroism induced by ultrafast laser pulses in hydrogenated amorphous silicon

A femto- and picosecond laser assisted periodic nanostructuring of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) is demonstrated. The grating structure with the subwavelength modulation of refractive index shows form birefringence (Δn ≈ −0.6) which is two orders of magnitude higher than commonly observed in uniaxial crystals and femtosecond laser nanostructured silica glass. The laser-induced giant birefringence and dichroism in a-Si:H film introduce extra dimensions to the polarization sensitive laser writing with applications that include data storage, security marking, and flat optics.

Features of the structure and defect states in hydrogenated polymorphous silicon films

The structural and electronic properties of thin hydrogenated polymorphous silicon films obtained by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition from hydrogen (H2) and monosilane (SiH4) gas mixture have been studied by means of transmission electron microscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. It has been established that the studied films consist of the amorphous phase containing silicon nanocrystalline inclusions with the average size on the order of 4–5 nm and the volume fraction of 10%. A signal was observed in the hydrogenated polymorphous silicon films during the EPR investigation that is attributed to the electrons trapped in the conduction band tail of microcrystalline silicon. It has been shown that the introduction of a small fraction of nanocrystals into the amorphous silicon films nonadditively changes the electronic properties of the material.

Influence of the fabrication conditions of polymorphous silicon films on their structural, electrical and optical properties

The structural, optical, and photoelectric properties of polymorphous silicon films produced by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition from a mixture of monosilane and hydrogen at high pressure are studied. Variations in the pressure of the gas mixture used for film production barely change the Raman spectra of the films, but induce changes in the photoconductivity and in the absorption spectrum obtained by the constant-photocurrent technique. The experimentally observed change in the optical and photoelectric parameters of the films is attributed to some structural changes induced in the films by variations in the deposition parameters.

Specific features of photoelectric and optical properties of amorphous hydrogenated silicon films produced by plasmochemical deposition from monosilane–hydrogen mixture

Photoelectric and optical properties of amorphous hydrogenated silicon films produced by plasmochemical deposition from a monosilane-hydrogen mixture have been studied at a fraction of hydrogen in the mixture that corresponds to the onset of formation of a nanocrystalline phase in the structure of the films obtained. A behavior untypical of amorphous hydrogenated silicon films is observed for the photoconductivity and the spectral dependence of the absorption coefficient. The temperature dependences of the photoconductivity in the films under study are found to vary with the energy of incident photons. At a photon energy of 1.3 eV, temperature quenching of photoconductivity is observed. Prolonged illumination of the films led to a certain decrease in the absorption coefficient at photon energies in the range 1.2–1.5 eV. The results obtained are attributed to the possible presence of silicon nanocrystals in the structure of the films and to the influence of these nanocrystals on their photoelectric and optical properties.

Unravelling a simple method for the low temperature synthesis of silicon nanocrystals and monolithic nanocrystalline thin films

In this work, we present new results on the plasma processing and structure of hydrogenated polymorphous silicon (pm-Si:H) thin films. pm-Si:H thin films consist of a low volume fraction of silicon nanocrystals embedded in a silicon matrix with medium range order, and they possess this morphology as a significant contribution to their growth comes from the impact on the substrate of silicon clusters and nanocrystals synthesized in the plasma. Quadrupole mass spectrometry, ion flux measurements, and material characterization by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy all provide insight on the contribution to the growth by silicon nanocrystals during PECVD deposition. In particular, cross-section TEM measurements show for the first time that the silicon nanocrystals are uniformly distributed across the thickness of the pm-Si:H film. Moreover, parametric studies indicate that the best pm-Si:H material is obtained at the conditions after the transition between a pristine plasma and one containing nanocrystals, namely a total gas pressure around 2 Torr and a silane to hydrogen ratio between 0.05 to 0.1. From a practical point of view these conditions also correspond to the highest deposition rate achievable for a given RF power and silane flow rate.

Gaussian approximation of the spectral dependence of the absorption spectrum in polymer semiconductors

The optical and photoelectric properties of present-day photosensitive polymers are of particular interest due to their prospects for use in various photoelectric applications. Here the absorption edge is studied by the constant photocurrent method which is widely used for studies of inorganic materials. For the objects to be studied, PCDTBT and PTB7 polymers and their mixtures with the PC71BM fullerene derivative are chosen. The spectral dependences of the absorption coefficient for the pure polymers and mixtures are approximated on the assumption of the Gaussian distribution of the density of states in the bands of the components, which provides a means for estimating the electrical band gaps. In addition, such processing of the spectra makes it possible to confirm some important inferences about the states responsible for optical transitions in the low-energy absorption region.

Modification of the structure and hydrogen content of amorphous hydrogenated silicon films under conditions of femtosecond laser-induced crystallization

We have studied the Raman spectra of initially amorphous hydrogenated silicon (a-Si:H) films upon their exposure to femtosecond laser-radiation pulses with the fluence varied within 30–155 mJ/cm2. The distribution of the volume fraction of a crystalline phase over the surface of processed films is determined for the first time and a correlation is established between changes in this value and the hydrogen content in a-Si:H films upon the crystallization induced by femtosecond laser radiation.

Determining the optical absorption edge in organic semiconductor composites with a bulk heterojunction by the constant photocurrent method

Spectral dependences of photoconductivity in thin layers of polyconjugated polymers (PCDTBT, PTB7) and their composites with a fullerene derivative (PC70BM), which are promising for the development of organic solar cells, have been studied. It was found that the photoconductivity in the polymeric composite exceeds that in the polymer in the whole spectral range under study and the edge of the photoconductivity spectrum is shifted to the long-wavelength part of the spectrum. Use of the constant photocurrent method made it possible to obtain spectral dependences of the absorption coefficients and determine the optical gap width of the materials studied.