Microstructure evolution and energy band alignment at the interface of a Si-rich amorphous silicon carbide/c-Si heterostructure

摘要

The microstructure evolution of Si-rich amorphous a-SiC:H films obtained under different annealing conditions was investigated by x-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The influence of its microstructure on the energy band alignment at a Si-rich a-SiC:H-type c-Si hetero-interface was analyzed by ultraviolet visible transmission spectroscopy and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy. The results revealed that the as-deposited Si-rich a-SiC:H film was mainly in an amorphous state. After annealing, Si and SiC quantum dots (QDs) formed, and the crystallinity of the QDs and the proportion of SiC QDs increased with increasing the annealing time at the same annealing temperature. It is found that the energy band alignment at the hetero-interface was influenced by the crystallinity of the films, the sizes of the QDs, and the relative proportion of Si to SiC QDs in a-SiC:H films. Moreover, the contact potential at the hetero-interface decreased with the improved crystallinity of the QDs in a-SiC:H film. The determination of energy band alignment at the Si-rich a-SiC:H/c-Si hetero-interface is beneficial to understanding the carrier transport behavior and designing hetero-structure devices.