The objectives of this two-year cooperative research project on the improvement of amorphous silicon semiconductors between Hellmut Fritzsche of the University of Chicago and Chen Jukuang of the Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences are to elucidate the correlation between the microstructure and the electronic properties of amorphous silicon, arrive at a better understanding of surface and interfaces of this amorphous semiconductor multilayers and measure microscopic mobility as a function of temperature, doping and preparation conditions. This is a continuation of a 1982 U.S.-China Program cooperative research grant. This project addresses problems at the forefront of current research on amorphous crystalline materials. Amorphous silicon is a promising material for many solid state devices. A better understanding of these materials is expected to improve the quality and reproducibility of semiconductors which are useful for large area solar cells and numerous electronic and optical devices. The Chicago and Shanghai groups' combined expertise on semiconductor physics and materials preparation and characterization will promote the U.S.-China Cooperative Science Program's objective of advancing scientific knowledge through international collaborative research.
