In-situ monitoring of laser annealing by micro-Raman spectroscopy for hydrogenated silicon nanoparticles produced in radio frequency glow discharge

Low temperature Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition (PECVD) grown amorphous hydrogenated Si (a-Si: H) thin films form the basis of many photovoltaic and microelectronic devices such as solar cells and TFTs. Amorphous hydrogenated silicon in the form of nanoparticles has been produced by power modulation of the PECVD processes. The stability of these nanoparticles under high temperatures and high power illumination is therefore of interest and to this end we report on combined laser annealing and in-situ monitoring through the use of micro-raman spectroscopy. Interpretation of spectra is done with the help of complementary techniques including scanning (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM).