Effects of Deposition Temperature and Film Thickness on the Structural, Electrical, and Optical Properties of Germanium Thin Films

Abstract

AbstractGermanium films deposited on glass by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition from germane and hydrogen grow in the structure succession of amorphous-nanocrystallineamorphous-nanocrystalline as the substrate temperature is raised from 30°C to 310°C. We ascribe the phase formation, from low to high temperature, to a sequence of low to high mobility of Ge growth species on a surface that is hydrogenated at low temperature but not hydrogenated at high temperature. We report some structural, optical, and electrical transport properties of Ge films as a function of deposition temperature and film thickness.