Structural, morphological, electrical and luminous properties of undoped micro/nanocrystalline silicon films deposited by ion-assisted beam deposition techniques

Microcrystalline/nanocrystalline silicon (mu c/nc-Si) films of thickness between 1 and 16 mu m and of high adhesivity are deposited on Duran glass and stainless steel substrate by ion-assisted beam deposition techniques. The X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopic investigations of the films show that they are textured with a preferred orientation of (110) reflection planes normal to the interface and the crystallite size varies between 25 and 50 nm. Activation energies between 0.1 and 0.43 eV are estimated for the Si/Duran glass film and 0.15 eV for the Si/S. Steel film using the electrical conductance measurements and the grain boundary trapping model. Si/Duran glass film of 1 mu m and crystallite size of 45 nm shows a luminous transmittance above 550 nm and a maximum transmittance of 25% in the wavelength region of (800-900 nm).