PECVD Processing of low bandgap-energy amorphous hydrogenated germanium-tin (a-GeSn:H) films for opto-electronic applications

Thierry de Vrijer*, Koos Roodenburg, Federica Saitta, Thijs Blackstone, Gianluca Limodio, Arno H.M. Smets

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)
50 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

An alloy based on the group IV elements germanium and tin has the potential of yielding an earth-abundant low bandgap energy semiconductor material with applications in the fields of micro-electronics, optics, photonics and photovoltaics. In this work, the first steps towards the plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) processing of a chemically stable, low bandgap energy and intrinsic GeSn:H alloy are presented. Using a tetramethyltin (TMT) precursor, over 70 PECVD processed films are presented. It was observed that the opto-electrical film properties are a result of the material phase fraction, void fraction, hydrogenation and the level of tin and carbon integration. In particular, managing the carbon integration from the TMT precursor into the material is crucial for obtaining low-bandgap and chemically stable materials. The collective findings from this work will aid in successfully identifying PECVD processing pathways for GeSn:H.
Original languageEnglish
Article number101450
Pages (from-to)1-9
Number of pages9
JournalApplied Materials Today
Volume27
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2022

Keywords

  • Amorphous films
  • Germanium-tin GeSn
  • Hydrogenated germanium Ge:H
  • Low bandgap energy
  • Plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition

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