Observation of Si nanocrystals in a/nc-Si:H films by spherical-aberration corrected transmission electron microscopy

Recent work has shown that the electrical properties of hydrogenated nanocrystalline Si (a/nc-Si:H) make this material a promising candidate for applications in solar cells. However, the analysis of the nanocrystalline content and structure of the constituent nanoparticles by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is complicated by the presence of the surrounding amorphous matrix. The present study applies the technique of spherical-aberration corrected TEM for the identification and analysis of the crystalline content of a a/nc-Si:H film. Analyses of nanoparticles of Si of approximately 1.5 nm size and planar defects in these nanoparticles are discussed.