Structure and optical properties of silicon nanocrystals embedded in amorphous silicon thin films obtained by PECVD

Silicon nanocrystals embedded in amorphous silicon matrix were obtained by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition using dichlorosilane as silicon precursor. The RF power and dichlorosilane to hydrogen flow rate ratio were varied to obtain different crystalline fractions and average sizes of silicon nanocrystals. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy images and RAMAN measurements confirmed the existence of nanocrystals embedded in the amorphous matrix with average sizes between 2 and 6nm. Different crystalline fractions (from 12% to 54%) can be achieved in these films by regulating the selected growth parameters. The global optical constants of the films were obtained by UV-visible transmittance measurements. Effective band gap variations from 1.78 to 2.3eV were confirmed by Tauc plot method. Absorption coefficients higher than standard amorphous silicon were obtained in these thin films for specific growth parameters. The relationship between the optical properties is discussed in terms of the different internal nanostructures of the samples.