Characterization of polycrystalline Ge thin films fabricated by short-pulse XeF excimer laser crystallization

XeF excimer laser-induced melting and recrystallization dynamics of amorphous germanium are investigated using time-resolved optical reflection and transmission measurements with a nanosecond time resolution, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, and micro-Raman spectroscopy. It is found that the disc-shaped grain with a diameter of approximately 0.8 μm is located in the complete melting regime with a melt phase duration of approximately 141–200 ns. The significant change of transmissivity is a key phenomenon revealing the excessive excimer laser fluence during excimer laser crystallization by in-situ optical measurements. Differences between the melting and recrystallization phenomenon for Si and Ge thin films are also discussed.     

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.     

Micro-Raman spectroscopy characterization of polycrystalline silicon films fabricated by excimer laser crystallization

The rapid recrystallization of amorphous silicon films utilizing excimer laser crystallization (ELC) is presented. The resulting poly-Si films are characterized by Raman spectroscopy. Polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) films with higher crystallinity can be realized by a dehydrogenation process before ELC. Raman spectra as a function of various excimer laser energy densities are demonstrated. The crystallinity and residual stress of the poly-Si films are determined and discussed.     

碳化硅薄膜脉冲激光晶化特性研究

采用XeCl准分子激光对非晶碳化硅(a-SiC)薄膜的脉冲激光晶化特性进行了研究.通过原子力显微镜（AFM）和Raman光谱技术对退火前后薄膜样品的形貌、结构及物相特性进行了分析.结果表明，选用合适的激光能量采用激光退火技术能够实现a-SiC薄膜的纳米晶化.退火薄膜中的纳米颗粒大小随着激光能量密度的增加而增大；Raman谱分析结果显示了退火后的薄膜的晶态结构特性并给出了伴随退火过程存在的物相分凝现象.根据以上结果并结合激光退火特性，对a-SiC的脉冲激光晶化机理进行了讨论. 关键词： 激光退火 晶化 碳化硅     

Evolution of microstructure in polycrystalline silicon thin films upon excimer laser crystallization

Polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) films fabricated by pulsed excimer laser crystallization (ELC) have been investigated using time-resolved optical measurements, scanning-electron microscopy, and cross-sectional transmission-electron microscopy. Detailed crystallization mechanisms are proposed to interpret the microstructure evolution of poly-Si films for both frontside and backside ELC. It is found that the backside ELC is a good candidate for the manufacturing of low-temperature polycrystalline silicon because of the high laser efficiency and low surface roughness of the poly-Si films.     

Characterization of polycrystalline silicon thin films fabricated by rapid joule heating method

Polycrystalline thin film transistors (poly-Si TFTs) were fabricated using the 5-s-rapid joule heating method. The optimum condition of 0.77 J/cm² for crystallization was determined through analysis of transfer characteristics of poly-Si TFTs. The density of the tail-type defect states decreased from 1.4×10¹² to 9.5×10¹¹ cm^-2 and the carrier mobility increased from 300 cm²/Vs to 760 cm²/Vs as the joule heating energy density increased from 0.68 to 0.77 J/cm². The threshold voltage of the drain current ranged between 0.9 and 1.15 V. PACS 85.30.De; 61.72.Bb; 81.10.Jt; 02.60.Cb     

激光干涉结晶法制备一维周期结构的纳米硅阵列

利用激光干涉结晶方法,采用周期为400 nm的一维(1D)移相光栅掩模调制KrF准分子激光器的脉冲激光束斑的能量分布,在不同厚度的超薄氢化非晶硅(a-Si:H)膜内直接制备1D有序纳米硅(nc-Si)阵列.拉曼散射谱表明,样品上呈条状分布的受辐照区域发生晶化.原子力显微镜和透射电子显微镜测试结果表明：1D的nc-Si阵列的周期和移相光栅掩模一样.随着a-Si:H膜厚度从10nm降至4nm,通过控制激光的能量密度,每个周期中nc-Si条状分布区宽度可达到30nm.nc-Si条状分布区的高分辨电子显微镜照片显 关键词： 纳米硅 激光干涉结晶 移相光栅 定域晶化     

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.     

Evaluation of probe lasers employed in optical diagnostics for phase transformation of thin films during excimer laser crystallization

The stability and reliability of probe laser is an important factor affecting the inspection of the phase transformation process of Si thin films during excimer laser crystallization using in-situ time-resolved optical measurements. The changes in 2D intensity profile, peak power density, and beam wander of the commonly used helium–neon (He–Ne) and diode laser are investigated experimentally. It is found that the peak power density of He–Ne laser is higher than that of diode laser, while the total power of He–Ne laser is lower than that of diode laser. Although the instability in the peak power density of He–Ne laser will increase with increasing the operation time, the beam stability of He–Ne laser is better than that of diode laser. For long-time operation (>24 h) of optical measurements, the diode laser is a good candidate of probe laser. Conversely, the diode laser is suitable for the short-time operation (<24 h) of optical measurements because the beam-wander is higher than that of He–Ne laser.     

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     

Crystallization of amorphous silicon beyond the crystallized polycrystalline silicon region induced by metal nickel

Crystallization of amorphous silicon(a-Si) which starts from the middle of the a-Si region separating two adjacent metal-induced crystallization(MIC) polycrystalline silicon(poly-Si) regions is observed. The crystallization is found to be related to the distance between the neighboring nickel-introducing MIC windows. Trace nickel that diffuses from the MIC window into the a-Si matrix during the MIC heat-treatment is experimentally discovered, which is responsible for the crystallization of the a-Si beyond the MIC front. A minimum diffusion coefficient of 1.84×10~(-9)cm~2/s at 550℃ is estimated for the trace nickel diffusion in a-Si.     

A novel optical diagnostic technique for analyzing the recrystallization characteristics of polycrystalline silicon thin films following frontside and backside excimer laser irradiation

Excimer laser annealing (ELA) is a widely used technique for producing polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) thin films. An optical inspection system with simple optical arrangements for rapid measurement of recrystallization results of poly-Si thin films is developed in this study. The recrystallization results after both frontside ELA and backside ELA can be easily visible from the profile of peak power density distribution using the optical inspection system developed with an optimized moving velocity of 0.312 mm/s of the specimen. The method of backside ELA is suggested for batch production of low-temperature polycrystalline silicon thin-film transistors due to higher laser beam utilization efficiency and lower surface roughness of poly-Si films.     

Dynamical resolidification behavior of silicon thin films during frontside and backside excimer laser annealing

Excimer laser annealing (ELA) is frequently employed to fabricate low-temperature polycrystalline silicon films on glass substrate. The grain size and crystallinity of polycrystalline silicon films are significantly affected by the resolidification behavior during ELA. A real-time in situ time-resolved optical measurement system is developed to record the rapid phase transformation process during ELA. The average solidification velocity of liquid-Si is calculated from these optical spectra using MATLAB and Excel softwares. Field emission scanning electron microscopy images reveal maximum grain size of poly-Si films with a diameter of 1 μm, which is obtained in the complete melting regime of both frontside ELA and backside ELA. Recrystallization mechanisms of complete melting of Si thin films in frontside ELA and backside ELA are demonstrated. Resolidification scenarios of partial melting, near-complete melting and complete melting in frontside ELA and backside ELA are proposed.     

Microstructures of patterned nc-Si superlattices made by pulsed laser interference crystallization

We employed atomic force microscopy, cross-section transmission electron microscopy and high-resolution electron microscopy to investigate the microstructures and surface morphology of laser interference crystallized a-Si : H/a-SiN_x : H superlattices. The experimental results show that Si nanocrystallites (nc-Si) are formed within the initial a-Si : H sublayers and are patterned in certain regions with the same periodicity of 2.0 μ m as the phase-shifting mask grating. The size of nc-Si is limited by adjacent a-SiN _x: H sublayers due to the constrained crystallization effect so it is possible to use this crystallization method to get a three-dimensional ordered nc-Si array.     

UV–visible spectral characterization and density functional theory simulation analysis on laser-induced crystallization of amorphous silicon thin films

The effect of laser energy density on the crystallization of hydrogenated intrinsic amorphous silicon （a-Si：H） thin films was studied both theoretically and experimentally. The thin films were irritated by a frequency-doubled （λ= 532 nm） Nd：YAG pulsed nanosecond laser. An effective density functional theory model was built to reveal the variation of bandgap energy influenced by thermal stress after laser irradiation. Experimental results establish correlation between the thermal stress and the shift of transverse optical peak in Raman spectroscopy and suggest that the relatively greater shift of the transverse optical （TO） peak can produce higher stress. The highest crystalline fraction （84.5%） is obtained in the optimized laser energy density （1000 mJ/cm2） with a considerable stress release. The absorption edge energy measured by the UV- visible spectra is in fairly good agreement with the bandgap energy in the density functional theory （DFT） simulation.     

多晶硅薄膜低温生长中晶粒大小的控制

以SiCl4H2为气源,用等离子体增强化学气相沉积(PECVD)方法低温快速沉积多晶硅薄膜.实验发现,在多晶硅薄膜的生长过程中,气相空间各种活性基团的相对浓度是影响晶粒大小的重要因素,随功率、H2/SiCl4流量比的减小和反应室气压的增加,晶粒增大.而各种活性基团的相对浓度依赖于PECVD工艺参数,通过工艺参数的改变,分析生长过程中空间各种活性基团相对浓度的变化,指出“气相结晶”过程是晶粒长大的一个重要因素. 关键词： 气相结晶 多晶硅薄膜 晶粒生长 SiCl4     

Fabrication of polycrystalline silicon films by Al‐induced crystallization of silicon‐rich oxide films

Polycrystalline silicon (poly‐Si) films were fabricated by aluminum (Al)‐induced crystallization of Si‐rich oxide (SiO_x) films. The fabrication was achieved by thermal annealing of SiO_x /Al bilayers below the eutectic temperature of the Al–Si alloy. The poly‐Si film resulting from SiO_1.45 exhibited good crystallinity with highly preferential (111) orientation, as deduced from Raman scattering, X‐ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy measurements. The poly‐Si film is probably formed by the Al‐induced layer exchange mechanism, which is mediated by Al oxide.     

Silicon nanowires synthesized by vapor–liquid–solid growth on excimer laser annealed thin gold film

The fabrication of Si nanowires has been demonstrated using excimer laser annealed thin gold film as the catalyst and vapor–liquid–solid (VLS) growth. Au nanoparticles with mean diameters of 12, 13 and 15 nm were formed by excimer laser annealing (ELA) of Au film with thickness of 2.5, 5 and 10 nm, respectively. The results show that the silicon nanowires (SiNWs) with desired diameter can be obtained by controlling the Au film thickness and laser power density.     

二维移相光栅光强分布的计算及在制备有序纳米硅阵列中的应用

从菲涅耳衍射积分的一般形式出发,结合二维（2D）移相光栅掩模(PSGM)的具体参数,通过数值计算得到了作用于样品表面的光强分布.实验上,采用激光干涉晶化的方法,利用周期为400 nm的2D-PSGM调制KrF准分子激光器的脉冲激光束斑的能量分布,在氢化非晶硅（a-Si:H）薄膜上直接制备了2D的有序纳米硅（nc-Si）阵列.测试结果表明：2D的nc-Si阵列的周期和PSGM的相一致,晶化区域与理论模拟的结果符合得很好. 关键词： 纳米硅 激光干涉晶化 移相光栅 菲涅耳衍射     

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.