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