The electrical and optical properties of feon thin films deposited by RF magnetron sputtering

Abstract

The electrical and optical properties of FeON films were investigated in order to find their possibilities for solar cell application. FeON thin films were deposited on glass substrates by RF magnetron sputtering using an ArN2O2 reactive gas. Under optimum flow rates of nitrogen and oxygen, the FeON films showed equivalent electrical properties to amorphous Si that has been conventionally used for thin film solar cells. Bandgap narrowing was also observed from 2.0 to 1.9 eV. The observed results were considered to be due to the formation of hematitemagnetite mixed phase, and the introduction of oxygen vacancies and/or nitrogen interstitials. ©2013 The Japan Society for Technology of Plasticity.