Properties of a-Si:N:H films beneficial for silicon solar cells applications

Amorphous silicon-nitride thin films a-Si:N:H were obtained by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) method from SiH4 + NH3 at 13.56 MHz. The process parameters were chosen to obtain the films of properties suitable for optoelectronic and mechanical applications. FTIR analysis of a-Si: N: H films indicated the presence of numerous hydrogen bonds (Si-H and N-H) which passivate structural defects in multicrystalline silicon and react with impurities. The morphological investigations show that the films are homogeneous. The deposition of a-Si: N: H layers leads to the decrease in friction coefficient of used substrates. Optical properties were optimised to obtain the films of low effective reflectivity, large energy gap E-g from 2.4 to 2.9 eV and refractive index in the range of 1.9 to 2.2. Reduction of friction coefficient for monocrystalline silicon after covering with a-Si: N: H films was observed: from 0.25 to 0.18 for 500 cycles.