Micro-photoluminescence and micro-Raman studies near the amorphous-to-microcrystalline transition in Si:H

Micro-photoluminescence and micro-Raman studies have been performed in the silicon–hydrogen system, near the onset of microcrystallinity, during the transition from amorphous-like to microcrystalline-like phase. Amorphous-like Si:H films before the onset of microcrystallization, as determined by a micro-Raman probe, exhibit a microcrystalline-like photoluminescence (PL) band, which is a doublet within the 1.0–1.2 eV energy band. These two satellite components exhibit two different natures of energy shifts with variation of either excitation intensity or temperature; however, both attribute to the germinate recombination of carriers. The ultimate line shape is determined by the low-energy component, because of its faster quenching with temperature. Two different characteristic temperatures of exponential band-tail states are obtained, contributing tail widths of 22 and 17 meV at lower and higher temperature regimes, respectively, across 200 K, as calculated in terms of the carrier thermalization model. PL-spectroscopy may offer a new means of diagnostics for Si:H network before the onset of microcrystallinity.