Main properties of Al2O3 thin films deposited by magnetron sputtering of an Al2O3 ceramic target at different radio-frequency power and argon pressure and their passivation effect on p-type c-Si wafers

In this work, 50-nm thick Al2O3 thin films were deposited at room temperature by magnetron sputtering from an Al2O3 ceramic target at different RF power and argon pressure values. The sputtering technique could be preferred to conventional atomic layer deposition for an industrial application, owing...

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Authors: García-Valenzuela, Jorge A., Rivera, R., Morales-Vilches, A. B., Gerling-Sarabia, L. G., Caballero, A., Asensi López, José Miguel, Voz Sánchez, Cristóbal, Bertomeu i Balagueró, Joan, Andreu i Batallé, Jordi
Format: article
Status:Versión aceptada para publicación
Publication Date:2016
Country:España
Institution:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
Repository:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
OAI Identifier:oai:recercat.cat:2445/104422
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/2445/104422
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Pel·lícules fines
Radiofreqüència
Silici
Fotoconductivitat
Thin films
Radio frequency
Silicon
Photoconductivity
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spelling Main properties of Al2O3 thin films deposited by magnetron sputtering of an Al2O3 ceramic target at different radio-frequency power and argon pressure and their passivation effect on p-type c-Si wafersGarcía-Valenzuela, Jorge A.Rivera, R.Morales-Vilches, A. B.Gerling-Sarabia, L. G.Caballero, A.Asensi López, José MiguelVoz Sánchez, CristóbalBertomeu i Balagueró, JoanAndreu i Batallé, JordiPel·lícules finesRadiofreqüènciaSiliciFotoconductivitatThin filmsRadio frequencySiliconPhotoconductivityIn this work, 50-nm thick Al2O3 thin films were deposited at room temperature by magnetron sputtering from an Al2O3 ceramic target at different RF power and argon pressure values. The sputtering technique could be preferred to conventional atomic layer deposition for an industrial application, owing to its simplicity, availability, and higher deposition rate. The resulting thin films were characterized by UV/Vis/NIR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The deposited Al2O3 material was always highly transparent and amorphous in nature. It was found that the O/Al ratio is higher when the Al2O3 layer is deposited at lower RF power or higher argon pressure. Also, some argon incorporation into the films was observed at low deposition pressure. On the other hand, the performance of the previously characterized Al2O3 thin films in the passivation of 2.25-Ωcm p-type float zone c-Si wafer surfaces was evaluated by the quasi-steady-state photoconductance technique. The best effective carrier lifetime value at one-sun illumination, 0.34 ms (corresponding to a surface recombination velocity of 41 cm/s), was obtained with the 50-nm Al2O3 deposited at the higher argon pressure studied, 0.67 Pa (5.0 mTorr), with the lowest RF power studied, 150 W (corresponding to a power density of 3.3 W/cm2), and after an annealing process, in this case at 350ºC for 20 min with forming gas. It was assumed that the reduction of the surface passivation quality at higher RF power or lower argon pressure is a consequence of an increased surface damage, and, probably, to a decrease of the O/Al ratio of the Al2O3 passivation material. These assumptions were confirmed with the obtainment of a lifetime of 0.73 ms (a surface recombination velocity equal to 19 cm/s) with a simple experiment with Al2O3 deposited with progressively varied sputtering conditions started from minimal silicon surface damage conditions: 50 W (corresponding to a power density of 1.1 W/cm2) and 6.67 Pa (50 mTorr). Finally, comments about further improvement of the effective lifetime (up to 1.25 ms, corresponding to a surface recombination velocity of 11 cm/s) with preliminary experiments about the incorporation of an intrinsic hydrogenated amorphous silicon interlayer are included.Elsevier B.V.2016201820162016info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersion9 p.application/pdfhttps://hdl.handle.net/2445/104422Articles publicats en revistes (Física Aplicada)reponame:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunyainstname:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)InglésVersió postprint del document publicat a: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsf.2016.10.049Thin Solid Films, 2016, vol. 619, p. 288-296https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsf.2016.10.049cc-by-nc-nd (c) Elsevier B.V., 2016http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/esinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:recercat.cat:2445/1044222026-05-29T05:05:01Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Main properties of Al2O3 thin films deposited by magnetron sputtering of an Al2O3 ceramic target at different radio-frequency power and argon pressure and their passivation effect on p-type c-Si wafers
title Main properties of Al2O3 thin films deposited by magnetron sputtering of an Al2O3 ceramic target at different radio-frequency power and argon pressure and their passivation effect on p-type c-Si wafers
spellingShingle Main properties of Al2O3 thin films deposited by magnetron sputtering of an Al2O3 ceramic target at different radio-frequency power and argon pressure and their passivation effect on p-type c-Si wafers
García-Valenzuela, Jorge A.
Pel·lícules fines
Radiofreqüència
Silici
Fotoconductivitat
Thin films
Radio frequency
Silicon
Photoconductivity
title_short Main properties of Al2O3 thin films deposited by magnetron sputtering of an Al2O3 ceramic target at different radio-frequency power and argon pressure and their passivation effect on p-type c-Si wafers
title_full Main properties of Al2O3 thin films deposited by magnetron sputtering of an Al2O3 ceramic target at different radio-frequency power and argon pressure and their passivation effect on p-type c-Si wafers
title_fullStr Main properties of Al2O3 thin films deposited by magnetron sputtering of an Al2O3 ceramic target at different radio-frequency power and argon pressure and their passivation effect on p-type c-Si wafers
title_full_unstemmed Main properties of Al2O3 thin films deposited by magnetron sputtering of an Al2O3 ceramic target at different radio-frequency power and argon pressure and their passivation effect on p-type c-Si wafers
title_sort Main properties of Al2O3 thin films deposited by magnetron sputtering of an Al2O3 ceramic target at different radio-frequency power and argon pressure and their passivation effect on p-type c-Si wafers
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv García-Valenzuela, Jorge A.
Rivera, R.
Morales-Vilches, A. B.
Gerling-Sarabia, L. G.
Caballero, A.
Asensi López, José Miguel
Voz Sánchez, Cristóbal
Bertomeu i Balagueró, Joan
Andreu i Batallé, Jordi
author García-Valenzuela, Jorge A.
author_facet García-Valenzuela, Jorge A.
Rivera, R.
Morales-Vilches, A. B.
Gerling-Sarabia, L. G.
Caballero, A.
Asensi López, José Miguel
Voz Sánchez, Cristóbal
Bertomeu i Balagueró, Joan
Andreu i Batallé, Jordi
author_role author
author2 Rivera, R.
Morales-Vilches, A. B.
Gerling-Sarabia, L. G.
Caballero, A.
Asensi López, José Miguel
Voz Sánchez, Cristóbal
Bertomeu i Balagueró, Joan
Andreu i Batallé, Jordi
author2_role author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Pel·lícules fines
Radiofreqüència
Silici
Fotoconductivitat
Thin films
Radio frequency
Silicon
Photoconductivity
topic Pel·lícules fines
Radiofreqüència
Silici
Fotoconductivitat
Thin films
Radio frequency
Silicon
Photoconductivity
description In this work, 50-nm thick Al2O3 thin films were deposited at room temperature by magnetron sputtering from an Al2O3 ceramic target at different RF power and argon pressure values. The sputtering technique could be preferred to conventional atomic layer deposition for an industrial application, owing to its simplicity, availability, and higher deposition rate. The resulting thin films were characterized by UV/Vis/NIR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The deposited Al2O3 material was always highly transparent and amorphous in nature. It was found that the O/Al ratio is higher when the Al2O3 layer is deposited at lower RF power or higher argon pressure. Also, some argon incorporation into the films was observed at low deposition pressure. On the other hand, the performance of the previously characterized Al2O3 thin films in the passivation of 2.25-Ωcm p-type float zone c-Si wafer surfaces was evaluated by the quasi-steady-state photoconductance technique. The best effective carrier lifetime value at one-sun illumination, 0.34 ms (corresponding to a surface recombination velocity of 41 cm/s), was obtained with the 50-nm Al2O3 deposited at the higher argon pressure studied, 0.67 Pa (5.0 mTorr), with the lowest RF power studied, 150 W (corresponding to a power density of 3.3 W/cm2), and after an annealing process, in this case at 350ºC for 20 min with forming gas. It was assumed that the reduction of the surface passivation quality at higher RF power or lower argon pressure is a consequence of an increased surface damage, and, probably, to a decrease of the O/Al ratio of the Al2O3 passivation material. These assumptions were confirmed with the obtainment of a lifetime of 0.73 ms (a surface recombination velocity equal to 19 cm/s) with a simple experiment with Al2O3 deposited with progressively varied sputtering conditions started from minimal silicon surface damage conditions: 50 W (corresponding to a power density of 1.1 W/cm2) and 6.67 Pa (50 mTorr). Finally, comments about further improvement of the effective lifetime (up to 1.25 ms, corresponding to a surface recombination velocity of 11 cm/s) with preliminary experiments about the incorporation of an intrinsic hydrogenated amorphous silicon interlayer are included.
publishDate 2016
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2016
2016
2016
2018
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersion
format article
status_str acceptedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv https://hdl.handle.net/2445/104422
url https://hdl.handle.net/2445/104422
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv Versió postprint del document publicat a: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsf.2016.10.049
Thin Solid Films, 2016, vol. 619, p. 288-296
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsf.2016.10.049
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv cc-by-nc-nd (c) Elsevier B.V., 2016
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/es
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv cc-by-nc-nd (c) Elsevier B.V., 2016
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/es
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv 9 p.
application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Elsevier B.V.
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Elsevier B.V.
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv Articles publicats en revistes (Física Aplicada)
reponame:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
instname:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
instname_str Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
reponame_str Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
collection Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
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score 15,811543

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