Open AccessSpectroscopy and structural properties of amorphous and nanocrystalline silicon carbide thin films
Author(s) -
Halindintwali Sylvain,
Knoesen D.,
Julies B. A.,
Arendse C. J.,
Muller T.,
Gengler Régis Y. N.,
Rudolf P.,
van Loosdrecht P. H. M.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
physica status solidi (c)
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.21
H-Index - 46
eISSN - 1610-1642
pISSN - 1862-6351
DOI - 10.1002/pssc.201084124
Subject(s) - amorphous solid , nanocrystalline material , materials science , photoluminescence , x ray photoelectron spectroscopy , raman spectroscopy , thin film , annealing (glass) , analytical chemistry (journal) , chemical vapor deposition , fourier transform infrared spectroscopy , microstructure , chemical engineering , crystallography , nanotechnology , optics , composite material , chemistry , optoelectronics , physics , chromatography , engineering
Amorphous SiC:H thin films were grown by hot wire chemical vapour deposition from a SiH 4 /CH 4 /H 2 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 SiH x /SiCH 2 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. (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
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