title: Hydrogen plasma treatment of very thin p-type nanocrystalline Si films grown by RF-PECVD in the presence of B(CH3)3.
abstract: We have characterized the structure and electrical properties of p-type nanocrystalline silicon films prepared by radio-frequency plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition and explored optimization methods of such layers for potential applications in thin-film solar cells. Particular attention was paid to the characterization of very thin (∼20 nm) films. The cross-sectional morphology of the layers was studied by fitting the ellipsometry spectra using a multilayer model. The results suggest that the crystallization process in a high-pressure growth regime is mostly realized through a subsurface mechanism in the absence of the incubation layer at the substrate-film interface. Hydrogen plasma treatment of a 22-nm-thick film improved its electrical properties (conductivity increased more than ten times) owing to hydrogen insertion and Si structure rearrangements throughout the entire thickness of the film.
authors.affiliation: CENIMAT/I3N, Departamento de Ciência dos Materiais, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, FCT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, and CEMOP-UNINOVA, 2829-516, Caparica, Portugal.
authors.forename: Sergej Alexandrovich
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Filonovich
authors.affiliation: CENIMAT/I3N, Departamento de Ciência dos Materiais, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, FCT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, and CEMOP-UNINOVA, 2829-516, Caparica, Portugal.
authors.forename: Hugo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Águas
authors.affiliation: CENIMAT/I3N, Departamento de Ciência dos Materiais, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, FCT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, and CEMOP-UNINOVA, 2829-516, Caparica, Portugal.
authors.forename: Tito
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Busani
authors.affiliation: CENIMAT/I3N, Departamento de Ciência dos Materiais, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, FCT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, and CEMOP-UNINOVA, 2829-516, Caparica, Portugal.
authors.forename: António
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vicente
authors.affiliation: CENIMAT/I3N, Departamento de Ciência dos Materiais, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, FCT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, and CEMOP-UNINOVA, 2829-516, Caparica, Portugal.
authors.forename: Andreia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Araújo
authors.affiliation: CENIMAT/I3N, Departamento de Ciência dos Materiais, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, FCT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, and CEMOP-UNINOVA, 2829-516, Caparica, Portugal.
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gaspar
authors.affiliation: Departments de Conservação e Restauro and, Unidade de Investigação Vidro e da Cerâmica para as Artes (Vicarte), FCT-UNL, Quinta da Torre, 2829-516, Caparica, Portugal.
authors.forename: Marcia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vilarigues
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Física/I3N, Universidade de Aveiro, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal.
authors.forename: Joaquim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Leitão
authors.affiliation: CENIMAT/I3N, Departamento de Ciência dos Materiais, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, FCT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, and CEMOP-UNINOVA, 2829-516, Caparica, Portugal.
authors.forename: Elvira
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fortunato
authors.affiliation: CENIMAT/I3N, Departamento de Ciência dos Materiais, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, FCT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, and CEMOP-UNINOVA, 2829-516, Caparica, Portugal.
authors.forename: Rodrigo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Martins
keywords: PECVD; incubation layer; nanocrystalline silicon; subsurface growth; trimethylboron