ON THE TRANSPORT-PROPERTIES OF MICROCRYSTALLINE SILICON AT LOW-TEMPERATURES

The dark and photoconductivity have been measured over a wide temperat ure range with a high crystallinity hydrogenated microcrystalline sili con (mu c-Si:R) sample. It is the first time that photoconductivity ov er such a broad temperature range (down to 20 K) has been reported. St riking similarities in the temperature dependences of the dark, and ph otoconductivity between mu c-Si:H and some well studied materials! suc h as hydrogenated amorphous silicon, suggest that at low temperatures hopping of carriers between localized states dominates the transport p roperties of mu c-Si:H.