Microcrystalline Silicon Germanium Thin Films Prepared by Reactive Sputtering

Abstract

  Microcrystalline silicon-germanium (μc-SiGe) films were fabricated on glass substrates by the RF reactive magnetron sputtering method using Ar and H₂ mixtures. We could reduce the crystallization temperature to 100°C and obtained the photosensitivity in the μc-SiGe films with any Ge content from 0 to 100%. These results indicate that the H₂ introduction into the sputtering gases has two important effects to decrease the crystallization temperature of the μc-SiGe films and to improve the film properties by the hydrogen termination of defects.