Preparation and Properties of Hydrogen Ated Amorphous Germanium Nitride a-GeN x :H

The properties of a-GeNx:H films have been studied including the effects of oxygen and carbon impurities. The contamination of a-GeNx:H with oxygen and carbon is expressed as a-GeNx(OyCz):H, where x=N/Ge, y=O/Ge and z=C/Ge. The characteristics of a-GeNx(OyCz):H are summarized as follows: the sample is transparent at the center of a film, and the color of a film varies to light yellow and to brown at the outer edge depending on the magnetic field of the magnetron sputtering. The compositional ratios of the film vary from x=0.34 to 0.28, y=0.15 to 0.25 and z=0.05 to 0.02 at the center and at outer edge of a film, respectively. Optical gap energy EO5, obtained by the photon energy at optical absorption coefficient of 5×103 cm−1, are 2.9 eV at the center and 1.7 eV at the outer edge of a film. Eo5 increases with the nitrogen content x in a-GeNx(OyCz):H but is independent of the content of oxygen and carbon.