INSIGHTS INTO DEPOSITION PROCESSES FOR AMORPHOUS-SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS AND DEVICES FROM REAL-TIME SPECTROSCOPIC ELLIPSOMETRY

Real time ellipsometry has been extended into the spectral domain thro ugh the use of a white-light probe and multichannel detection system. With this approach, similar to 100 point ellipsometric (psi, Delta> sp ectra of growing thin films can be acquired in a time as short as simi lar to 30 ms. The (psi, Delta) spectra can be interpreted to obtain mu ltiple thicknesses and optical properties of the depositing layers wit h confidence. We have applied this approach to characterize the growth of amorphous silicon-carbon alloys on smooth c-Si substrates and amor phous silicon solar cell structures on microscopically-rough SnO2:F su bstrates. Connections have been established between the monolayer-leve l thin film deposition processes and the ultimate electronic propertie s of the films or devices.