Optoelectronic properties of nitrogenated amorphous carbon films synthesized by microwave surface wave plasma chemical vapor deposition system

• Published in: Diamond and related materials Vol. 15; no. 11; pp. 1894 - 1897
• Main Authors: Adhikari, Sudip, Aryal, Hare Ram, Ghimire, Dilip C., Omer, Ashraf M.M., Adhikary, Sunil, Uchida, Hideo, Umeno, Masayoshi
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.11.2006; Elsevier
• Subjects: Amorphous carbon; Chemical vapor deposition (including plasma-enhanced cvd, mocvd, etc.); Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Electronic structure and electrical properties of surfaces, interfaces, thin films and low-dimensional structures; Electronic transport phenomena in thin films and low-dimensional structures; Exact sciences and technology; Ion and electron beam-assisted deposition; ion plating; Materials science; Methods of deposition of films and coatings; film growth and epitaxy; Microwave surface wave plasma CVD; Nitrogen; Optoelectronic properties; Physics; Physics of gases, plasmas and electric discharges; Physics of plasmas and electric discharges; Plasma applications; Plasma-based ion implantation and deposition; Amorphous carbon; Optoelectronic properties; Nitrogen; Microwave surface wave plasma CVD; Photonic band gap; Amorphous thin film; Electrical properties; Doping; Crystal growth from vapors; Infrared spectra; Raman spectroscopy; Carbon additions; Plasma sources; Photovoltaic cell; Thin films; CVD; Quantity ratio; Optical properties; Illumination; Nitrogen additions; Silicon; PECVD; Microwave discharge; Plasma deposition
• ISSN: 0925-9635; 1879-0062
• DOI: 10.1016/j.diamond.2006.08.005

The n-type nitrogen doped amorphous carbon (a-C:N) thin films have been grown by microwave (MW) surface wave plasma (SWP) chemical vapor deposition (CVD) system on silicon, quartz and ITO substrates at different nitrogen flow rates (1 to 4 sccm). The effects of nitrogen doping on chemical, optical, structural and electrical properties were studied through X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Nanopics 2100/NPX200 surface profiler, UV/VIS/NIR spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and solar simulator measurements. Argon, acetylene and nitrogen are used as plasma sources. Optical band gap decreased and nitrogen atomic concentration (%) increased with increasing nitrogen flow rate as a dopant. The a-C:N/p-Si based device exhibits photovoltaic behavior under illumination (AM 1.5, 100 mW/cm 2), with a maximum open-circuit voltage ( V oc), short-circuit current ( J sc) and fill factor of 4.2 mV, 7.4 μA/cm 2 and 0.25 respectively.