Optical and electrical measurements of a-SiC:H/c-Si heterojunctions prepared by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition

A series of optical and electrical measurements of a-SiC:H/c-Si heterojunctions prepared by a parallel-plate plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition system are reported. All the samples underwent various passivation processes. It is observed that in situ H2/Ar plasma prior cleaning and H2 plasma annealing can reduce the dark current of the heterojunction by three orders of magnitude. Higher process pressure and lower power density also favour good interface properties.