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Self-catalyzed Tritium Incorporation in Amorphous and Crystalline

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Baojun Liu ,
Nazir Kherani ,
Kevin P Chen ,
Tome Kosteski ,
Keith Leong  and
Stefan Zuktynski
Baojun Liu
Affiliation:
bal4@pitt.edu, University of Pittsburgh, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Nazir Kherani
Affiliation:
kherani@ecf.utoronto.ca, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
Kevin P Chen
Affiliation:
pec9@pitt.edu, University of Pittsburgh, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Tome Kosteski
Affiliation:
kostesk@ecf.utoronto.ca, UofT, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Toronto, Canada
Keith Leong
Affiliation:
leong@ecf.utoronto.ca, UofT, electrical & Computer Engineering, Toronto, Canada
Stefan Zuktynski
Affiliation:
stefan.zukotynski@utoronto.ca, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
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Abstract

Tritiated amorphous and crystalline silicon is prepared by exposing silicon samples to tritium gas (T2) at various pressures and temperatures. Total tritium content and tritium concentration depth profiles in the tritiated samples are obtained using thermal effusion and Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy (SIMS) measurements. The results indicate that tritium incorporation is a function of the material microstructure rather than the tritium exposure condition. The highest tritium concentration attained in the amorphous silicon is about 20 at.% on average with a penetration depth of about 50 nm. In contrast, the tritium occluded in the c-Si is about 4 at.% with a penetration depth of about 10 nm. The tritium concentration observed in a-Si:H and c-Si is higher than reported results from post-hydrogenation experiments. The beta irradiation appears to catalyze the tritiation process and enhance the tritium dissolution in silicon material.

Keywords

Sihydrogenationdiffusion
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1245: Symposium A – Amorphous and Polycrystalline Thin-Film Silicon Science and Technology-2010 , 2010 , 1245-A16-18
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2010

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