Pulsed laser deposition of photosensitive a-Si thin films

Si films have been fabricated by pulsed KrF excimer laser deposition (PLD) through the use of various Si targets and deposition conditions. The deposi ts consisted of droplets and homogeneous films, which were assigned to be c rystalline and amorphous silicon, respectively, by the micro Raman scatteri ng measurements. Not only the crystalline but also the amorphous Si part sc arcely(< 1 atomic %) contained hydrogen regardless of whether or not the fi lms are prepared in the presence of H-2 gas. Conditions were explored to re duce the droplet formation and to produce photosensitive films. Amorphous S i films with photosensitivity (sigma(ph)/sigma(d)) exceeding 10(3) were obt ained, and they exhibited high stability against light soaking. Thus, PLD i s a promising method to fabricate photosensitive and photostable a-Si films .