Normal and anti Meyer–Neldel rule in conductivity of highly crystallized undoped microcrystalline silicon films

We have studied the electrical conductivity behavior of highly crystallized undoped hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon films having different microstructures. The dark conductivity is seen to follow Meyer Neldel rule (MNR) in some films and anti MNR in others, which has been explained on the basis of variation in the film microstructure and the corresponding changes in the effective density of states distributions. A band tail transport and statistical shift of Fermi level are used to explain the origin of MNR as well as anti-MNR in our samples. The observation of MNR and anti MNR in electrical transport behavior of microcrystalline silicon is discussed in terms of the basic underlying physics of their origin and the significance of these relationships.