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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 February 2011
Growth of Si thin films via metal-induced crystallization (MIC) has been demonstrated by several research groups. This process lowers the crystallization temperature compared to standard solid phase crystallization (SPC). Ni is the metal that is most often adopted for this purpose. In this work, a 20-50nm Ni layer was deposited by DC magnetron sputtering onto a 500nm SiO2 layer grown on silicon wafers, followed by Si deposition at 500°C without breaking vacuum. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (XTEM) confirmed the formation of poly-Si in a columnar structure with grain sizes in the 100-300nm range. XTEM and XPS show that nickel silicide was formed at the Si-Ni interface. We find that doping type and concentration do not have a significant impact on the grain structure. SIMS reveals no significant loss or redistribution in doping concentration during sputtering.