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Transmission Electron Microscopy of Excimer Laser Crystallized Amorphous Si Thin Films

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 February 2011

G. B. Anderson ,
R. Z. Bachrach ,
K. Winer ,
J. B. Boyce ,
F. A. Ponce ,
R. I. Johnson  and
S. E. Ready
G. B. Anderson
Affiliation:
Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, 3333 Coyote Hill Road, Palo Alto, California 94304
R. Z. Bachrach
Affiliation:
Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, 3333 Coyote Hill Road, Palo Alto, California 94304
K. Winer
Affiliation:
Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, 3333 Coyote Hill Road, Palo Alto, California 94304
J. B. Boyce
Affiliation:
Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, 3333 Coyote Hill Road, Palo Alto, California 94304
F. A. Ponce
Affiliation:
Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, 3333 Coyote Hill Road, Palo Alto, California 94304
R. I. Johnson
Affiliation:
Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, 3333 Coyote Hill Road, Palo Alto, California 94304
S. E. Ready
Affiliation:
Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, 3333 Coyote Hill Road, Palo Alto, California 94304
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Abstract

The results of a transmission electron microscopy (TEM) study of excimer laser crystallized a-Si:H thin films are described in this paper. High resolution TEM has shown the crystallization threshold of 10−2 P a-Si:H, grown by PECVD, to be 85 mj/cm2. TEM reveals that PECVD a-Si:H films crystallize in a stratified structure at laser energy densities greater than 120 mj/cm2. This stratified structure consists of a polycrystalline Si region near the surface, a microcrystalline region below the polycrystalline region and uncrystallized a-Si near the substrate. The depth of the crystallized region increases as the laser energy density increases. Spherical voids are also present in the film in the microcrystalline region. These voids are formed by H2 evolving from the film during crystallization. TEM also reveals that thermal annealing a 50 nm film of a-Si:H followed by laser crystallization produces 100 nm Si grains with low defect density.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 192: Symposium O – Amorphous Silicon Technology - 1990 , 1990 , 669
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1990

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References

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