Surface orientation effects in crystalline-amorphous silicon interfaces
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Accepted Version
Date
2012-09-25
Authors
Nolan, Michael
Legesse, Merid
Fagas, GĂorgos
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Volume Title
Publisher
The Royal Society of Chemistry
Published Version
Abstract
In this paper we present the results of empirical potential and density functional theory (DFT) studies of models of interfaces between amorphous silicon (a-Si) or hydrogenated amorphous Si (a-Si:H) and crystalline Si (c-Si) on three unreconstructed silicon surfaces, namely (100), (110) and (111). In preparing models of a-Si on c-Si, melting simulations are run with classical molecular dynamics (MD) at 3000 K for 10 ps to melt part of the crystalline surface and the structure is quenched to 300 K using a quench rate of 6 x 10(12) K s(-1) and finally relaxed with DFT. Incorporating the optimum hydrogen content in a-Si to passivate undercoordinated Si, followed by DFT relaxation, produces hydrogenated amorphous silicon on crystalline surfaces, a-Si:H/c-Si. The (100) surface is the least stable crystalline surface and forms the thickest amorphous Si region, while the most stable (110) surface forms the smallest amorphous region. Calculated radial distribution functions (RDF) in the amorphous and crystalline layers are consistent with a-Si and c-Si and indicate a structural interface region one layer thick. The electronic density of states shows an evolution from c-Si to a-Si (or a-Si:H), with a larger electronic interface layer, suggesting that the electronic properties are more strongly perturbed by interface formation compared to the atomic structure. The computed optical absorption spectra show strong effects arising from the formation of different a-Si and a-Si:H regions in different Si surfaces.
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Keywords
Junction solar-cells , Molecular-dynamics , Energy
Citation
Nolan, M., Legesse, M. and Fagas, G. (2012) 'Surface orientation effects in crystalline-amorphous silicon interfaces', Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 14(43), pp. 15173-15179. doi: 10.1039/C2CP42679J
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Copyright
© the Owner Societies 2012; Published by Royal Society of Chemistry. This is the Accepted Manuscript version of a published work that appeared in final form in Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics. To access the final published version of record, see http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2012/cp/c2cp42679j