Influence of doping on the structural and optoelectronic properties of amorphous and microcrystalline silicon carbide

Abstract

Amorphous and microcrystalline silicon carbide, undoped and doped, has attracted a great attention for its optical and electrical properties. The introduction of dopant atoms in the network of amorphous films permits the control of electrical properties but it gives rise to a decreasing of the optical gap. Microcrystalline SiC:H films seem to provide films having a wide range of electrical conductivities without drastic change in the optical gap. This paper presents the results of a detailed study on the effects of boron and phosphorus doping on structural, optical, and electrical properties of a-SiC:H and μc-SiC:H films. An optical gap as high as 2.1 eV, together with a conductivity of 10−3 Ω−1 cm−1, are shown by doped μc-SiC:H.