Structure of amorphous silicon and germanium alloy films

The primary objective of the research is to improve the understanding at the microscopic level of amorphous silicon and germanium film structures deposited under various methods. The work is to correlate and theoretically analyze, nuclear magnetic resonance, NMR, ESR, electron spin resonance, and other measurements. The alloys of concern include those obtained by adding dopants to hydrogenated silicon and germanium. The work has been directed to continue deuteron magnetic resonance DMR studies and to pay particulate attention to those structural features which may correlate with the photoelectronic properties of the material. The 1990 (DMR) accomplishments have included correlation of inhomogeneous nuclear spin relaxation with photovoltaic quality. In a second project, a structural rearrangement of atoms has been demonstrated to be associated with the light-induced metastability in a-Si:D, H films. A third approach has employed proton-deuteron coupled spin dynamics to examine hydrogen and deuterium motions in quality films of a-Si:H; a-Si:P,H; and a-Si:D,H. The B- P-doped films show a significantly enhanced hydrogen mobility above 200 K. We also have performed a number of detailed calculations on the effects coordination and strain on the deep electronic states rising from B and P dopants in a-Si as well as the band tail statesmore » in the gap of a-Si arising from strained bonds. This work gives a rather complete picture of the effects on the gap states of strain and dopants in the absence of H and for a given configuration of the a-Si network. We conclude that the methods that we have developed over the past three years are capable of describing many of the effects of strained bonds, especially their effect on dopants. 25 refs., 11 figs., 3 tabs.« less