Current-Voltage Characteristics of ITO/p-Si and ITO/n-Si Contact Interfaces

We investigated the electrical contact characteristics of indium tin oxide (ITO)/doped hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) junctions. For efficient collection of photo-generated carriers, photovoltaic and photodetector devices require good ohmic contacts with transparent electrodes. The amorphous-Si thin films were sputter deposited on ITO coated glass substrates. As-deposited p-type a-Si:H on ITO formed nearly ohmic type contacts and further annealing did not improve the contact characteristics. On the other hand, as-deposited n-type a-Si:H on ITO formed an ohmic contact, while further annealing resulted in a Schottky type contact. The ITO contact with p-type silicon semiconductor is a robust ohmic contact for Si based optoelectronic devices.