Effect of thermal annealing and nitrogen content on amorphous silicon thin-film crystallization

• Published in: Physica status solidi. A, Applications and materials science Applications and materials science, 2007-07, Vol.204 (7), p.2347-2354
• Main Authors: Bouridah, H., Mansour, F., Mahamdi, R., Bounar, N., Temple-Boyer, P.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 61.10.Nz; 68.37.Hk; 68.55.Jk; 81.05.Cy; 81.15.Gh; 81.40.Ef; Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties; Exact sciences and technology; Physics; Structure and morphology; thickness; Surfaces and interfaces; thin films and whiskers (structure and nonelectronic properties); Thin film structure and morphology
• ISSN: 1862-6300; 0031-8965; 1862-6319
• DOI: 10.1002/pssa.200623060

We study the influence of high‐temperature annealing (1100–1200 °C) on the crystallization of nitrogen‐doped silicon films deposited by LPCVD (low‐pressure chemical vapor deposition) at low temperature (465 °C) from disilane Si2H6 and ammonia NH3. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X‐ray diffraction, studies of films are used to analyze crystallinity evolution and grain orientations. Results show the transformation of films deposited in amorphous phase to a typically polycrystalline structure after high‐temperature annealing with a large grain size exceeding 1 μm. The structural properties are strongly influenced by the annealing conditions and the nitrogen ratio in each film. It is shown that the film crystallinity increases with the duration of annealing, and that the nitrogen content inhibits the crystallization phenomena. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)