Amorphous silicon

About: Amorphous silicon is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 26777 publications have been published within this topic receiving 423234 citations.

Silicon thin‐film solar cells with rectangular‐shaped grating couplers

Abstract: As an alternative to randomly textured transparent conductive oxides as front contact for thin-film silicon solar cells the application of transparent grating couplers was studied. The grating couplers were prepared by sputtering of aluminium-doped zinc oxide (ZnO) on glass substrate, a photolithography and a lift-off process and were used as periodically textured substrates. The period size and groove depth of these transparent gratings were tuned independently from each other and varied between I and 4 mu m and 100-600 nm. The optical properties of rectangular-shaped gratings and the opto-electronic behaviour of amorphous and microcrystalline silicon solar cells with integrated grating couplers as a function of the grating parameters (period size P and groove depth h(g)) are presented. The optical properties of the gratings are discussed with respect to randomly textured substrates and the achieved solar cell results are compared with the opto-electronic properties of solar cells deposited on untextured (flat) and randomly textured substrates. Copyright (c) 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Methods of forming polycrystalline semiconductor waveguides for optoelectronic integrated circuits, and devices formed thereby

Abstract: Methods of forming polycrystalline semiconductor waveguides include the steps of forming a first cladding layer (e.g., SiO2) on a substrate (e.g., silicon) and then forming a polycrystalline semiconductor layer (e.g., poly-Si) on the first cladding layer using a direct deposition technique or by annealing amorphous silicon (a-Si) to form a polycrystalline layer, for example. The deposited polycrystalline semiconductor layer can then be polished at a face thereof to have a root-mean-square (RMS) surface roughness of less than about 6 nm so that waveguides patterned therefrom have loss ratings of better than 35 dB/cm. The polished polycrystalline semiconductor layer is then preferably etched in a plasma to form a plurality of polycrystalline strips. A second cladding layer is then formed on the polycrystalline strips to form a plurality of polycrystalline waveguides which provide relatively low-loss paths for optical communication between one or more optoelectronic devices coupled thereto. The annealed amorphous silicon layer or deposited polycrystalline layer can also be hydrogenated by exposing the second cladding layer to a hydrogen containing plasma at a temperature and pressure of about 350° C. and 0.16 mTorr, respectively, and for a duration in a range between about 30 and 60 minutes. This further improves the loss ratings of the waveguides to about 15 dB/cm or less.

Semiconductor memory device

Abstract: PURPOSE:To obtain an amorphous nonvolatile memory, which has excellent holding characteristics and reproducibility and a large area and large capacitance and cost thereof is low, by using an amorphous silicon carbide film in place of an amorphous silicon nitride film. CONSTITUTION:An insulating substrate 11, a lower electrode 12, an N type 13, which is hydrogenated previously by amorphous silicon and to which phosphorus is doped to a high degree, and an N type 14 to which phosphorus is doped similarly to a low degree are formed in the order. An silicon oxide film 15 in which amorphous silicon in oxidized through plasma anodizing, etc., a film 16, which consists of a hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide film and contains carbon by 35atom% or more, and an upper electrode 17 are shaped in the order. Accordingly, a device having performance, which has not exist as nonvolatile memories, such as, a holding time of ten years or more, a writing time of 0.1musec or less, even fast erasing speed, a large area and large capacitance and low cost is obtained.

Microbolometer and method for forming

Abstract: A microbolometer is provided that includes an absorber element having material properties to change temperature in response to absorbing infrared radiation. An amorphous silicon detector is thermally coupled to the absorber element and is suspended above a silicon substrate at a height of one-quarter wavelength of the infrared radiation to be detected. The amorphous silicon detector changes electrical resistance in response to the absorber element changing temperature. The microbolometer also includes electrode arms coupled to the silicon substrate to provide structural support for the amorphous silicon detector above the surface of the silicon substrate. The electrode arms further provide electrical connectivity for the microbolometer.

Optimization of thin film silicon solar cells on highly textured substrates

Abstract: Doped layers made of nanostructured silicon phases embedded in a silicon oxide matrix were implemented in thin film silicon solar cells. Their combination with optimized deposition processes for the silicon intrinsic layers is shown to allow for an increased resilience of the cell design to the substrate texture, with high electrical properties conserved on rough substrates. The presented optimizations thus permit turning the efficient light trapping provided by highly textured front electrodes into increased cell efficiencies, as reported for single junction cells and for amorphous silicon (a-Si)/microcrystalline silicon tandem cells. Initial and stabilized efficiencies of 12.7 and 11.3%, respectively, are reported for such tandem configuration implementing a 1.1 mu m thick microcrystalline silicon bottom cell.