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Silicon quantum dots (Si-QDs) embedded B-doped SiN${}_x$ films were fabricated by magnetron co-sputtering. The effects of B content on the structural, optical and electrical properties of the films were studied. The study found that the amount of B dopant has no significant effect on the crystallization characteristics of the films. B atoms may be doped in the Si-QDs or exist in the silicon nitride or the interface between Si-QDs and the matrix. PL intensity increases with increasing B content, but increases at first and then decreases. The conductivity as a function of the dopant concentration increases at first from a value of 2.71 × 10${}^{-4}$ S/cm to 5.83 × 10${}^{-2}$ S/cm until 0.9 at.% and then decreases. By employing B-doped Si-QDs films, Si-QDs/c-Si heterojunction solar cells were fabricated and the effect of B doping concentration on the photovoltaic properties was studied. It was found that, with the increase of B doping amount, the photovoltaic performance is improved, when the B doping amount is 0.9 at.%, the efficiency reaches the highest value of 4.26%.

In this work, silicon-rich oxide (SRO) films with designed thickness of ~100 nm were deposited by a bipolar pulse and radio frequency magnetron co-sputtering. For comparison, the samples were then treated in a nitrogen atmosphere by conventional rapid thermal annealing (CRTA) or light-filtering rapid thermal annealing (LRTA) at 900–1100°C for 2 min. Raman spectra, grazing incident X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Hall measurements, and current density–voltage measurements were carried out to analyze the microstructural and electrical properties of samples. Compared with the control sample using CRTA method, the crystalline volume fraction and number density of Si nanocrystals (SiNCs) in silicon oxide prepared by LRTA were greatly increased. The quantum effects of the short wave-length light (less than 800 nm) of these tungsten halogen lamps during the rapid thermal annealing process have negative effects on the formation of SiNCs in SiO₂ films. SiNCs with crystal volume fraction of 73%, average size of 2.53 nm, and number density of ~1.1 × 10¹² cm^-2 embedded in the amorphous SiO₂ matrix can be formed by LRTA at 1100°C. Enhancement of more than one order of magnitude in conductivity and higher current density were obtained from the LRTA annealed sample compared to the CRTA annealed sample. The improvements in conductivity and current density were attributed to the high density SiNCs. Our results show that the LRTA method is a suitable annealing tool for the formation of SiNC in thin SiO_x films.