Polycrystalline silicon films on glass grown by amorphous–liquid–crystalline transition at temperatures below 330 °C

An approach to deposit polycrystalline silicon layers on amorphous substrates is presented. It is shown that metastable amorphous silicon can be transformed into its more stable microcrystalline structure at a temperature below 330 °C via an intermediate liquid solution stage. In particular, the int...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Thin solid films 2012, Vol.520 (6), p.1784-1788
Main Authors: Heimburger, Robert, Deßmann, Nils, Teubner, Thomas, Schramm, Hans-Peter, Boeck, Torsten, Fornari, Roberto
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amorphous–liquid–crystalline transition
Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties
Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science
rheology
Exact sciences and technology
Liquid crystals
Liquid phase epitaxy
deposition from liquid phases (melts, solutions, and surface layers on liquids)
Materials science
Metal-induced crystallization
Methods of deposition of films and coatings
film growth and epitaxy
Physical vapor deposition
Physics
Raman spectroscopy
Scanning electron microscopy
Silicon on glass
Solution growth
Structure and morphology
thickness
Structure of solids and liquids
crystallography
Surfaces and interfaces
thin films and whiskers (structure and nonelectronic properties)
Theory and models of film growth
Thin film structure and morphology
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Summary:An approach to deposit polycrystalline silicon layers on amorphous substrates is presented. It is shown that metastable amorphous silicon can be transformed into its more stable microcrystalline structure at a temperature below 330 °C via an intermediate liquid solution stage. In particular, the interaction of liquid indium nanodroplets in contact with amorphous silicon is shown to lead to the formation of circular polycrystalline domains. Crystallinity of these domains is analyzed by micro-Raman spectroscopy. The droplet size necessary for the onset of crystallization is related to the temperature of the film. Full coverage of the substrate with microcrystalline silicon has been obtained at 320 °C within less than one hour. These films might act as seeding layers for further enlargement by steady-state liquid phase epitaxy.
ISSN:0040-6090
1879-2731
DOI:10.1016/j.tsf.2011.08.084