Spectroscopy and structural properties of amorphous and nanocrystalline silicon carbide thin films

Sylvain Halindintwali, D. Knoesen, B.A. Julies, C.J. Arendse, T. Muller, Régis Y.N. Gengler, P. Rudolf, P.H.M. van Loosdrecht

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Abstract

Amorphous SiC:H thin films were grown by hot wire chemical vapour deposition from a SiH4/CH4/H2 mixture at a substrate temperature below 400 °C. Thermal annealing in an argon environment up to 900 °C shows that the films crystallize as μc-Si:H and SiC with a porous microstructure that favours an oxidation process. By a combination of spectroscopic tools comprising Fourier transform infrared, Raman scattering and X-rays photoelectron spectroscopy we show that the films evolve from the amorphous SiHx/SiCH2 structure to nanocrystalline Si and SiC upon annealing at a temperature of 900 °C. A strong RT photoluminescence peak of similar shape has been observed at around 420 nm in both as-deposited and annealed samples. Time-resolved luminescence measurements reveal that this peak is fast decaying with lifetimes ranging from 0.5 to ~1.1 ns.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2661-2664
Number of pages4
JournalPhysica Status Solidi (C)
Volume8
Issue number9
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2011

Keywords

  • Γ-point
  • surface states
  • excitonic transition
  • oscillator strength

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