Strong visible PL from the nc-Si thin film by Ni silicide mediated crystallization

We studied the growth of nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si) thin film exhibiting a strong room temperature photoluminescence (PL) at 1.81–2.003 eV. The amorphous silicon was crystallized by Ni silicide mediated crystallization (Ni SMC) and then Secco-etched to exhibit the PL. The PL peak energy and intensity increase with increasing the metal density on the a-Si because of the reduction in the grain size down to 2 nm. The photoluminescence energy and peak intensity depend strongly on the Secco etch time because the grain size is reduced by etching the grain boundaries.     

Nickel-disilicide-assisted excimer laser crystallization of amorphous silicon

Polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) thin film has been prepared by means of nickel-disilicide (NiSi多晶硅 受激准分子激光器结晶 结晶化 界面晶粒生长polycrystalline silicon, excimer laser crystallization,Ni-disilicide, Ni-metal-induced lateral crystallization, two-interface grain growthProject supported by the National High Technology Development Program of China (Grant No 2002AA303250) and by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No 60576056).9/7/2005 12:00:00 AM3/6/2006 12:00:00 AMPolycrystalline silicon （poly-Si） thin film has been prepared by means of nickel-disilicide （NiSi2） assisted excimer laser crystallization （ELC）. The process to prepare a sample includes two steps. One step consists of the formation of NiSi2 precipitates by heat-treating the dehydrogenated amorphous silicon （a-Si） coated with a thin layer of Ni. And the other step consists of the formation of poly-Si grains by means of ELC. According to the test results of scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, another grain growth model named two-interface grain growth has been proposed to contrast with the conventional Ni-metal-induced lateral crystallization （Ni-MILC） model and the ELC model. That is, an additional grain growth interface other than that in conventional ELC is formed, which consists of NiSi2 precipitates and a-Si. The processes for grain growth according to various excimer laser energy densities delivered to the a-Si film have been discussed. It is discovered that grains with needle shape and most of a uniform orientation are formed which grow up with NiSi2 precipitates as seeds. The reason for the formation of such grains which are different from that of Ni-MILC without migration of Ni atoms is not clear. Our model and analysis point out a method to prepare grains with needle shape and mostly of a uniform orientation. If such grains are utilized to make thin-film transistor, its characteristics may be improved.     

化学源金属诱导多晶硅研究

以硝酸镍溶液为化学源，对于用不同方法沉积得到的非晶硅膜作晶化前驱物，都能予以不同程度的晶化.用VHF-PECVD方法获得的非晶硅膜作前驱物，易于去氢并更容易晶化.当化学源浓度不同时，晶化效果会存在一定差别，在一定的范围内，溶液浓度越高，晶化后形成的晶粒越大.退火气氛对晶化结果产生某些影响，可以发现，在N₂气氛下退火，比在大气下有更好的晶化效果.最后对物理源与化学源作诱导金属的晶化结果进行了比较，结果表明，对诱导金属源而言，化学源显示出更为有效的晶化趋势. 关键词： 金属诱导晶化 多晶硅薄膜 低温制备 退火处理     

变温退火制备铝诱导大晶粒多晶硅薄膜的机理研究

为了缩短铝诱导法制备大晶粒多晶硅薄膜的退火时间,用射频磁控溅射法在玻璃衬底上沉积了a-Si/SiO2/Al叠层膜,并用两种方法进行变温退火.分析了变温退火工艺对铝诱导晶化过程的影响,着重讨论了退火过程中温度由低温升到高温时不形成小晶粒的机理和条件.研究表明,当退火温度升高时,是否形成小晶粒取决于晶粒半径、耗尽层厚度和相邻晶粒间距三者之间的关系.     

Laser crystallization for large-area electronics

Laser crystallization is reviewed for the purpose of fabrication of polycrystalline silicon thin film transistors (poly-Si TFTs). Laser-induced rapid heating is important for formation of crystalline films with a low thermal budget. Reduction of electrically active defects located at grain boundaries is essential for improving electrical properties of poly-Si films and achieving poly-Si TFTs with high performances. The internal film stress is attractive to increase the carrier mobility. Recent developments in laser crystallization methods with pulsed and continuous-wave lasers are also reviewed. Control of heat flow results in crystalline grain growth in the lateral direction, which is important for fabrication of large crystalline grains. We also report an annealing method using a high-power infrared semiconductor laser. High-power lasers will be attractive for rapid formation of crystalline films over a large area and activation of silicon with impurity atoms.     

Nanocrystalline silicon films prepared by laser—induced crystallization

The excimer laser-induced crystallization technique has been used to investigate the preparation of nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si) from amorphous silicon ($\al$-Si) thin films on silicon or glass substrates. The $\al$-Si films without hydrogen grown by pulsed-laser deposition are chosen as precursor to avoid the problem of hydrogen effluence during annealing. Analyses have been performed by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, Raman scattering spectroscopy and high-resolution transmission--electron microscopy. Experimental results show that silicon nanocrystals can be formed through laser annealing. The growth characters of nc-Si are strongly dependent on the laser energy density. It is shown that the volume of the molten silicon predominates essentially the grain size of nc-Si, and the surface tension of the crystallized silicon is responsible for the mechanism of nc-Si growth.     

In situ spectromicroscopic study of nickel induced lateral crystallization of amorphous silicon thin film using SPESM

Scanning photoelectron spectromicroscopy (SPESM) has been used to study nickel metal induced lateral crystallization (Ni-MILC) of amorphous silicon (a-Si) thin films, produced by in situ annealing of vacuum deposited Ni patterned films on a-Si. The spatial variations in the chemical composition of the Ni-MILC of a-Si were directly imaged. High-resolution photoemission spectra of both Si 2p and Ni 3p core levels and valence band were used to evaluate morphological changes and chemical interactions. Our direct spectromicroscopic characterization clearly shows that the Ni-MILC process in UHV leads to the lower crystallization temperature and a faster crystallization speed of a-Si, and a poly-Si film with high-crystallinity can be obtained. A unified mechanism for the enhanced growth rate of the high-crystallinity poly-Si film produced by Ni-MILC in UHV is proposed.     

Metal-induced solid-phase crystallization of hydrogenated amorphous silicon: dependence on metal type and annealing temperature

We report on metal (Cr, Ni, or Pd)-induced solid-phase crystallization (MISPC) of plasma-enhanced chemical-vapor-deposited hydrogenated amorphous silicon at annealing temperatures ≤600 °C. MISPC is found to significantly reduce the thermal budget of crystallization at annealing temperatures as low as ∼400 °C. The lowest achievable annealing temperature is found to depend on the metal type. The metal type is also found to influence grain size and the conductivity of the polycrystalline silicon. Received: 21 June 1999 / Accepted: 20 October 1999 / Published online: 23 February 2000     

溶液法铝诱导晶化制备多晶硅薄膜

采用铝（Al）盐溶液作为诱导源进行了非晶硅晶化成多晶硅的研究.光学显微镜观测与Raman光谱分析表明,合适配比的铝盐溶液能够将非晶硅予以诱导晶化.采用剥层XPS测试分析,探究了Al盐溶液与硅表面可能的化学反应以及随之发生的硅-铝层交换的过程.最后对溶液法诱导晶化的机理进行了讨论. 关键词： 铝诱导晶化 多晶硅薄膜 溶液法     

A non-destructive optical diagnostic technique for measuring grain size of polycrystalline silicon produced by excimer laser crystallization

This work demonstrates a non-destructive optical diagnostic technique for determining grain size of polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) and presents the result of melt-mediated phase transformation after excimer laser crystallization. The relationship between the average grain size of poly-Si films and transmissivity is investigated experimentally, which is found to coincide with the observation by field-emission scanning electron microscopy. This methodology can be used in association with a variety of non-destructive monitoring schemes.     

磁控共溅射低温制备多晶硅薄膜及其特性研究

多晶硅在光电子器件领域具有较为重要的用途。利用磁控溅射镀膜系统,通过共溅射技术在玻璃衬底上制备了非晶硅铝(α-Si/Al)复合膜,将Al原子团包覆在α-Si基质中,膜中的Al含量可通过Al和Si的溅射功率比来调节。复合膜于N₂气氛中进行350 ℃,10 min快速退火处理,制备出了多晶硅薄膜。利用X射线衍射仪、拉曼光谱仪和紫外-可见光-近红外分光光度计对多晶硅薄膜的性能进行表征,研究了Al含量对多晶硅薄膜性能的影响。结果表明：共溅射法制备的α-Si/Al复合膜在低温光热退火下晶化为晶粒分布均匀的多晶硅薄膜;随着膜中Al含量逐渐增加,多晶硅薄膜的晶化率、晶粒尺寸逐渐增加,带隙则逐渐降低;Al/Si溅射功率比为0.1时可获得纳米晶硅薄膜,Al/Si溅射功率比为0.3时得到晶化率较高的多晶硅薄膜,通过Al含量的调节可实现多晶硅薄膜的晶化率、晶粒尺寸及带隙的可控。     

In situ time-resolved optical measurements of a-Si thin films during excimer laser crystallization

An in situ time-resolved optical reflection and transmission (TRORT) monitoring system combining two He-Ne probe lasers, a digital oscilloscope and three fast photodetectors is developed to investigate the crystallization processes of Si thin films during excimer laser crystallization (ELC). The physical meaning of optical spectra obtained by TRORT measurements has been interpreted in detail. The melt duration and transient phase transformation dynamics of Si thin films can be determined and interpreted immediately. A high efficiency and non-destructive evaluation approach is proposed for determining the grain size of polycrystalline Si after ELC directly and immediacy under appropriate experimental conditions.     

Studies on the polycrystalline silicon/SiO_2 stack as front surface field for IBC solar cells by two-dimensional simulations

Interdigitated back contact(IBC) solar cells can achieve a very high efficiency due to its less optical losses. But IBC solar cells demand for high quality passivation of the front surface. In this paper, a polycrystalline silicon/SiO_2 stack structure as front surface field to passivate the front surface of IBC solar cells is proposed. The passivation quality of this structure is investigated by two dimensional simulations. Polycrystalline silicon layer and SiO_2 layer are optimized to get the best passivation quality of the IBC solar cell. Simulation results indicate that the doping level of polycrystalline silicon should be high enough to allow a very thin polycrystalline silicon layer to ensure an effective passivation and small optical losses at the same time. The thickness of SiO_2 should be neither too thin nor too thick, and the optimal thickness is 1.2 nm.Furthermore, the lateral transport properties of electrons are investigated, and the simulation results indicate that a high doping level and conductivity of polycrystalline silicon can improve the lateral transportation of electrons and then the cell performance.     

脉冲激光晶化超薄非晶硅膜的分子动力学研究

利用准分子脉冲激光晶化非晶硅薄膜是制备高密度尺寸可控的硅基纳米结构的有效方法之一.本文将脉冲激光对非晶硅超薄膜的影响处理为热传导问题,采用了基于Tersoff势函数的分子动力学方法模拟了在非晶氮化硅衬底上2.7 nm超薄非晶硅膜的脉冲激光晶化过程.研究了不同激光能量对非晶硅薄膜晶化形成纳米硅的影响,发现在合适的激光能量窗口下,可以获得高密度尺寸可控的纳米硅薄膜,进而模拟了在此能量作用下非晶硅膜中成核与生长的机理与微观过程,并对晶化所获得的纳米硅薄膜的微结构进行了分析. 关键词： 非晶硅 分子动力学 脉冲激光晶化     

Er3+注入CdTe薄膜的结构和光电性能研究

采用离子注入技术对近距离升华制备的CdTe薄膜进行Er³⁺掺杂研究.讨论了不同掺Er³⁺浓度对CdTe薄膜的结构和光电性能的影响.利用X射线衍射仪、扫描电子显微镜、紫外-可见分光光度计、霍耳效应测试系统和复阻抗分析仪对样品进行测试.结果表明，适当的掺杂量可以改善CdTe薄膜的结晶性能，降低晶界势垒高度，提高其导电性能.在一定掺杂范围内掺Er³⁺对CdTe薄膜的光能隙影响不大. 关键词： CdTe薄膜 离子注入 晶界势垒 光能隙     

Excimer laser crystallization of amorphous silicon on metallic substrate

An attempt has been made to achieve the crystallization of silicon thin film on metallic foils by long pulse duration excimer laser processing. Amorphous silicon thin films (100 nm) were deposited by radiofrequency magnetron sputtering on a commercial metallic alloy (N42-FeNi made of 41 % of Ni) coated by a tantalum nitride (TaN) layer. The TaN coating acts as a barrier layer, preventing the diffusion of metallic impurities in the silicon thin film during the laser annealing. An energy density threshold of 0.3 J?cm^?2, necessary for surface melting and crystallization of the amorphous silicon, was predicted by a numerical simulation of laser-induced phase transitions and witnessed by Raman analysis. Beyond this fluence, the melt depth increases with the intensification of energy density. A complete crystallization of the layer is achieved for an energy density of 0.9 J?cm^?2. Scanning electron microscopy unveils the nanostructuring of the silicon after laser irradiation, while cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy reveals the crystallites’ columnar growth.     

Rapid determination of surface roughness of polycrystalline silicon following frontside and backside excimer laser irradiation

Excimer-laser crystallization (ELC) is the most commonly employed technology for fabricating low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS). Investigations on the surface roughness of polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) thin films have become an important issue because the surface roughness of poly-Si thin films is widely believed to be related to its electrical characteristics. In this study, we develop a simple optical measurement system for rapid surface roughness measurements of poly-Si thin films fabricated by frontside ELC and backside ELC. We find that the incident angle of 20° is a good candidate for measuring the surface roughness of poly-Si thin films. The surface roughness of polycrystalline silicon thin films can be determined rapidly from the reflected peak power density measured by the optical system developed using the prediction equation. The maximum measurement error rate of the optical measurement system developed is less than 9.71%. The savings in measurement time of the surface roughness of poly-Si thin films is up to 83%. The method of backside ELC is suggested for batch production of low-temperature polycrystalline silicon thin-film transistors due to the lower surface roughness of poly-Si films and higher laser-beam utilization efficiency.     

Cobalt-induced polycrystalline silicon film growth

Cobalt (Co)-induced crystalline silicon (Si) growth was investigated. The Co catalyst reacted to dc magnetron sputtered Si at 600 °C forming a Co silicide layer. The polycrystalline Si (poly-Si) was epitaxially grown above the Co silicide template, which has a small lattice misfit to Si. Annealing followed to improve the Si crystallinity. X-ray diffraction was performed to trace Co silicide phase formation and transition. The Co-rich silicide phase transitioned to CoSi₂ by annealing. The crystallinity of Si films was identified using reflection absorption Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy, which detected unique peaks at 689 and 566 cm⁻¹ after the annealing process. The thin poly-Si film was used to fabricate a Schottky diode to prove the electronic quality. A good quality Si thin film was achieved by the metal-induced Si growth.     

Development of polycrystalline silicon films on flexible metallic substrates by aluminium induced crystallization

Thin film silicon solar cells on low cost foreign substrates could be attractive for highly efficient and low cost production of photovoltaic electricity. An attempt has been made to synthesise high-quality continuous polycrystalline silicon (pc-Si) layers on flexible metallic substrates using aluminium induced crystallization (AIC) for the first time. Amorphous silicon films deposited by ECR-PECVD were crystallized on diffusion barrier coated metallic substrates at lower temperatures (<577°C). The crystallization was studied using Raman as well as UV reflectance spectroscopy. The as-grown AIC pc-Si films were found to be continuous and densely packed without amorphous phase. The migration of impurities from the substrate to the pc-Si films and the conformability of the barrier layer with the substrate and pc-Si films were studied systematically in terms of chemical and stress level analysis, which are the important aspects to be considered when metallic foils are used as substrates. It was observed that the barrier layer also serves as a buffer layer to minimise the stress level enormously in the AIC grown pc-Si layer, though the supporting material has a thermal expansion coefficient of higher order at higher annealing temperatures. The present investigation proves the possibility to grow better-quality polycrystalline silicon films on flexible metallic foils and further demonstrates the steps that need to be considered to improve the quality of AIC pc-Si films as well as the strength of the barrier layer.     

Microstructural investigation of nickel silicide thin films and the silicide-silicon interface using transmission electron microscopy

This article discusses the results of transmission electron microscopy (TEM)-based investigation of nickel silicide (NiSi) thin films grown on silicon. Nickel silicide is currently used as the CMOS technology standard for local interconnects and in electrical contacts. Films were characterized with a range of TEM-based techniques along with glancing angle X-ray diffraction. The nickel silicide thin films were formed by vacuum annealing thin films of nickel (50 nm) deposited on (100) silicon. The cross-sectional samples indicated a final silicide thickness of about 110 nm. This investigation studied and reports on three aspects of the thermally formed thin films: the uniformity in composition of the film using jump ratio maps; the nature of the interface using high resolution imaging; and the crystalline orientation of the thin films using selected-area electron diffraction (SAED). The analysis highlighted uniform composition in the thin films, which was also substantiated by spectroscopy techniques; an interface exhibiting the desired abrupt transition from silicide to silicon; and desired and preferential crystalline orientation corresponding to stoichiometric NiSi, supported by glancing angle X-ray diffraction results.