Abstract
Effects of silane temperature (T g) before glow-discharge on the optical and transport properties of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) thin films were investigated. The optical measurements show that the refractive index increases with increasing T g. The transport characterizations show that when T g increases, the dark conductivity increases. However, the temperature coefficient of resistance decreases. In addition, after holding at 130°C for 20 h, the resistance variation, ΔR/R, of the films deposited at T g = room temperature (10.8%) is much larger than those deposited at silane temperatures of 80°C (3%) and 160°C (2%). This can be attributed to different rates of defect creation in a-Si:H films caused by various T g.