Crystallization of n-doped amorphous silicon PECVD films: comparison between SPC and RTA methods

Amorphous silicon films are deposited by radio-frequency plasma-enhanced chemical-vapor deposition (RF-PECVD) with different n-doping rates. The amorphous films are subsequently crystallized using either solid phase crystallization (SPC) or rapid thermal annealing (RTA). We compare the effect of the n-doping rate on some properties of the microcrystalline silicon films obtained with both techniques. In the SPC process, the time required for the beginning of the crystallization decreases with increasing phosphorus doping. Moreover, doped films present slightly higher crystal size than intrinsic films but the doping rate does not significantly influence the grain size. For RTA, the doping rate decreases the crystallization temperature and increases significantly the crystal size. Whatever the doping rate, the average grain sizes obtained by RTA are larger than those obtained by SPC. The electrical resistance of the crystallized films also depends on the crystallization process: RTA films present a lower dark conductivity than SPC films. These results are discussed taking into account the different kinetics of both crystallization techniques and the role played by the silicon dangling bonds and their charge states on the crystal growth.