Preparation and characterization of amorphous multi-layers of Silicon Al and Ag

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Benha Univ.

2 Faculty of Science, Menofia University, Shebeen El-Koom, Egypt

3 1Faculty of Science, Menofia University,

Abstract

Thin layers composed of Si/Si, Si/Al, Si/Ag, and Si/Al/Ag were deposited on quartz substrate through the process of thermal evaporation, followed by a heat treatment at 500 °C for one hour. The characteristics related to the structure and light interaction of these films were thoroughly analyzed. X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques showed a broad band around 2Ѳ =20-30 related to the amorphous silicon and some small peaks appeared after the heat annealing. EDX of the prepared multilayers showed that the samples were exposed to oxidation. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) showed the formation of polycrystalline phases of Si/Al, Si/Ag, and Si/Al/Ag which are distributed all over the film's surfaces. FT-IR measurements showed the characteristic peaks of Si, Al, and Ag. Optical absorption measurements indicated an increase in the absorption coefficient. Integration of (Si/Al/Ag) nanoparticles increased the absorption in the range of 400–1100 nm. The energy band gap of the prepared samples has been calculated (around 1.5 eV). The effect of oxidation on the activation energy has been studied by using the DC measurements.

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