Switching Behavior of Microcrystalline Silicon Deposited by Hot-Wire Chemical Vapor Deposition

Jian Hu; Paul Stradins; Howard M. Branz; Qi Wang; Brittany Huie; J. R. Weinberg-Wolf; E. C.T. Harley; Keda Wang; Daxing Han

doi:10.1063/1.1866486

Switching Behavior of Microcrystalline Silicon Deposited by Hot-Wire Chemical Vapor Deposition

Jian Hu, Paul Stradins, Howard M. Branz, Qi Wang, Brittany Huie, J. R. Weinberg-Wolf, E. C.T. Harley, Keda Wang, Daxing Han

Chemistry and Nanoscience

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

We study current-induced changes in electrical and structural properties of a p -type microcrystalline silicon (μc-Si) films sandwiched between two metal contacts. After switching, the resistance decreases from above 1 MΩ to below 1 kΩ. The voltage-current characteristics show a saturated voltage region where irreversible changes occur gradually. In this region, transient temperature measurements show that film temperature rises considerably. The resistance of the switched state depends strongly on device area, suggesting that structural changes responsible for switching involve a large fraction of the device area. Micro-Raman studies show that film crystallinity increases during switching. This increase in crystallinity may indicate that the electrical switching process involves the formation of percolation paths through an amorphous incubation layer formed during film growth. This switching mechanism is quite different from the metallic filament formation observed in amorphous silicon switches.

Original language	American English
Article number	073709
Number of pages	6
Journal	Journal of Applied Physics
Volume	97
Issue number	7
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1866486 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1866486
State	Published - 1 Apr 2005

NREL Publication Number

NREL/JA-520-36772

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title = "Switching Behavior of Microcrystalline Silicon Deposited by Hot-Wire Chemical Vapor Deposition",

abstract = "We study current-induced changes in electrical and structural properties of a p -type microcrystalline silicon (μc-Si) films sandwiched between two metal contacts. After switching, the resistance decreases from above 1 MΩ to below 1 kΩ. The voltage-current characteristics show a saturated voltage region where irreversible changes occur gradually. In this region, transient temperature measurements show that film temperature rises considerably. The resistance of the switched state depends strongly on device area, suggesting that structural changes responsible for switching involve a large fraction of the device area. Micro-Raman studies show that film crystallinity increases during switching. This increase in crystallinity may indicate that the electrical switching process involves the formation of percolation paths through an amorphous incubation layer formed during film growth. This switching mechanism is quite different from the metallic filament formation observed in amorphous silicon switches.",

author = "Jian Hu and Paul Stradins and Branz, {Howard M.} and Qi Wang and Brittany Huie and Weinberg-Wolf, {J. R.} and Harley, {E. C.T.} and Keda Wang and Daxing Han",

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T1 - Switching Behavior of Microcrystalline Silicon Deposited by Hot-Wire Chemical Vapor Deposition

AU - Hu, Jian

AU - Stradins, Paul

AU - Branz, Howard M.

AU - Wang, Qi

AU - Huie, Brittany

AU - Weinberg-Wolf, J. R.

AU - Harley, E. C.T.

AU - Wang, Keda

AU - Han, Daxing

PY - 2005/4/1

Y1 - 2005/4/1

N2 - We study current-induced changes in electrical and structural properties of a p -type microcrystalline silicon (μc-Si) films sandwiched between two metal contacts. After switching, the resistance decreases from above 1 MΩ to below 1 kΩ. The voltage-current characteristics show a saturated voltage region where irreversible changes occur gradually. In this region, transient temperature measurements show that film temperature rises considerably. The resistance of the switched state depends strongly on device area, suggesting that structural changes responsible for switching involve a large fraction of the device area. Micro-Raman studies show that film crystallinity increases during switching. This increase in crystallinity may indicate that the electrical switching process involves the formation of percolation paths through an amorphous incubation layer formed during film growth. This switching mechanism is quite different from the metallic filament formation observed in amorphous silicon switches.

AB - We study current-induced changes in electrical and structural properties of a p -type microcrystalline silicon (μc-Si) films sandwiched between two metal contacts. After switching, the resistance decreases from above 1 MΩ to below 1 kΩ. The voltage-current characteristics show a saturated voltage region where irreversible changes occur gradually. In this region, transient temperature measurements show that film temperature rises considerably. The resistance of the switched state depends strongly on device area, suggesting that structural changes responsible for switching involve a large fraction of the device area. Micro-Raman studies show that film crystallinity increases during switching. This increase in crystallinity may indicate that the electrical switching process involves the formation of percolation paths through an amorphous incubation layer formed during film growth. This switching mechanism is quite different from the metallic filament formation observed in amorphous silicon switches.

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Switching Behavior of Microcrystalline Silicon Deposited by Hot-Wire Chemical Vapor Deposition

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