Characterization of thin polycrystalline silicon films deposited on glass by CVD

Abstract

We deposited polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) thin films on commercial float glass by chemical vapour deposition from trichlorosilane at temperatures between 735 and 870°C. The structural properties of the films were evaluated by means of scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, reflectance in the ultraviolet region and Raman spectroscopy. The electrical characterization involved measurements of dark conductivity and photoconductivity as a function of temperature, Hall effect, ambipolar diffusion length from the steady-state photocarrier grating technique and density of defects by means of modulated photoconductivity. By using boron tribromide as a doping agent, degrees of doping ranging from intrinsic to clearly p-doped were obtained. The process, the reactants and the substrate used are of low cost, and proved to be adequate for direct poly-Si deposition, giving films of good structural and electrical properties.