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Processing and morphology of permeable polycrystalline silicon thin films

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2011

G. G. Dougherty ,
A. A. Pisano  and
T. Sands
G. G. Dougherty
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California, 94720
A. A. Pisano
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California, 94720
T. Sands
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California, 94720
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Abstract

It is known that thin films of polycrystalline silicon, deposited under the right conditions, can be permeable to HF-based etching solutions. While these films offer unique capabilities for microfabrication, both the poor reproducibility of the permeable film properties and the lack of a detailed physical understanding of the material have limited their application. This work provides a methodical study of the relationship between process, microstructure, and properties of permeable polycrystalline silicon thin films. It is shown that the permeability is a result of small pores, on the order of 10 nm, between the 100–200-nm hemispherical grains characteristic of the permeable film morphology. This morphology occurs only in nearly stress-free films grown in a narrow temperature range corresponding to the transition between tensile and compressive film growth regimes. This result strongly suggests that the monitoring of residual film stress can provide the process control needed to reliably produce permeable films. A simple kinetic model is proposed to explain the evolution of the morphology of the permeable films.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 17 , Issue 9 , September 2002 , pp. 2235 - 2242
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2002

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References

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