Numerical Simulation and Experimental Investigation of the Time-Of-Flight Technique Applied to a-Si:H/a-SiGe:H-Heterojunctions

Abstract

We report on a comparative study, employing the TOF-technique for the characterization of the properties of a-Si:H/a-SiGe:H-heterojunctions. Both the simulated and experimental electron current transients exhibit a pronounced difference depending on the direction of movement of the excess carriers (from the a-Si:H into the a-SiGe:H or vice versa). For the movement from the low bandgap a-SiGe:H into the a-Si:H we find a char¬acteristic increase in the transient current at room temperature, which, as the simulation can reveal, is attributed to the higher drift mobility in the a-Si:H. A drop in the current is observed when the direction for the transit is from a-Si:H to a-SiGe:H. The post-transit behaviour is dominated by the large amount of trapped carriers which remain on the SiGe side of the sample. The situation for a high barrier between a-Si:H and a-SiC:H and the influence of various parameters on the shape of the current transient are discussed.