Structural and optoelectronic properties of dusty-plasma-grown Si:H films near the amorphous–nanocrystalline transition
Abstract
Nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si:H) thin films were deposited by dusty-plasma PECVD under varying RF power and pressure conditions, with a focus on the amorphous-to-nanocrystalline transition. High deposition rates associated with the formation of conical growth morphology were achieved. Structural characterization shows that increasing the deposition parameters enhances the crystalline fraction. Raman spectroscopy indicates an increase in crystallite size, while AFM analysis reveals a distinct evolution of surface grain size, following the same trend as the deposition rate. Optical measurements demonstrate a decrease in both the absorption coefficient and refractive index with increasing crystalline fraction. The optical properties analyzed within the Wemple–DiDomenico framework reveal a clear inverse correlation between the average optical gap E M and the refractive index. Electrical characterization shows that charge transport remains dominated by localized states in the amorphous phase. The inverse correlation between activation energy and oxygen content, combined with hydrogen-related passivation effects at grain boundaries, indicates that O/H incorporation governs the effective conduction pathways. These findings pave the way for optimizing nc-Si:H thin films for advanced optoelectronic applications through precise control of growth conditions.
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BibTeX
@article{amrani2026structural,
title = {{Structural and optoelectronic properties of dusty-plasma-grown Si:H films near the amorphous–nanocrystalline transition}},
author = {Rachid Amrani and Fouaz Lekoui and Amina Benalia and Frederic Pichot and Pascale Abboud and Elyes Garoudja and Walid Filali and Slimane Oussalah and Lokmane Abdelouahed and Yvan Cuminal},
journal = {Materials Today Communications},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1016/j.mtcomm.2026.115272},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05772347v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Structural and optoelectronic properties of dusty-plasma-grown Si:H films near the amorphous–nanocrystalline transition
AU - Rachid Amrani
AU - Fouaz Lekoui
AU - Amina Benalia
AU - Frederic Pichot
AU - Pascale Abboud
AU - Elyes Garoudja
AU - Walid Filali
AU - Slimane Oussalah
AU - Lokmane Abdelouahed
AU - Yvan Cuminal
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/30
JO - Materials Today Communications
DO - 10.1016/j.mtcomm.2026.115272
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05772347v1
AB - Nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si:H) thin films were deposited by dusty-plasma PECVD under varying RF power and pressure conditions, with a focus on the amorphous-to-nanocrystalline transition. High deposition rates associated with the formation of conical growth morphology were achieved. Structural characterization shows that increasing the deposition parameters enhances the crystalline fraction. Raman spectroscopy indicates an increase in crystallite size, while AFM analysis reveals a distinct evolution of surface grain size, following the same trend as the deposition rate. Optical measurements demonstrate a decrease in both the absorption coefficient and refractive index with increasing crystalline fraction. The optical properties analyzed within the Wemple–DiDomenico framework reveal a clear inverse correlation between the average optical gap E M and the refractive index. Electrical characterization shows that charge transport remains dominated by localized states in the amorphous phase. The inverse correlation between activation energy and oxygen content, combined with hydrogen-related passivation effects at grain boundaries, indicates that O/H incorporation governs the effective conduction pathways. These findings pave the way for optimizing nc-Si:H thin films for advanced optoelectronic applications through precise control of growth conditions.
SN - 2352-4928
ER -