Abstract
Hydrogenated nano-crystalline silicon (nc-Si:H) is a promising material for multi-junction solar cells. We investigated the local hydrogen environments in nano-crystalline silicon thin films by nuclear-magnetic-resonance (NMR). At room temperature, 1H NMR spectra have broader components than those observed in standard device grade hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H). As the temperature decreases, the 1H NMR exhibits a broadening of the line shape attributed to hydrogen atoms at the interfaces between the amorphous silicon (a-Si) and the crystalline silicon (c-Si) regions. These results suggest that the local hydrogen structure in nc-Si:H is very different from that in a-Si:H. In particular, the hydrogen clusters contributing to broadened spectra may exist on the surfaces of the a-Si/c-Si interfaces which do not exist in the more dense matrix of a-Si:H and may contribute to certain unique optoelectronic properties of these nc-Si:H thin films. The dependence of the spin-lattice relaxation time (T1) on temperature, however, is very similar to that in a-Si:H, which indicates the spin-lattice relaxation mechanism, i.e via spin diffusion through molecular hydrogen, is common to both systems.
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Kiriluk, K.G., Bobela, D.C., Su, T. et al. H NMR Study of Hydrogenated Nanocrystalline Silicon Thin Films. MRS Online Proceedings Library 1153, 2304 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1557/PROC-1153-A23-04
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/PROC-1153-A23-04