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Suppression of nucleation during the aluminum-induced layer exchange process

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Jens Schneider ,
Juliane Klein ,
Andrey Sarikov ,
Martin Muske ,
Stefan Gall  and
Walther Fuhs
Jens Schneider*
Affiliation:
Hahn-Meitner-Institut Berlin, Dept. Silizium Photovoltaik, Kekuléstr. 5, 12489 Berlin, Germany
Juliane Klein
Affiliation:
Hahn-Meitner-Institut Berlin, Dept. Silizium Photovoltaik, Kekuléstr. 5, 12489 Berlin, Germany
Andrey Sarikov
Affiliation:
Hahn-Meitner-Institut Berlin, Dept. Silizium Photovoltaik, Kekuléstr. 5, 12489 Berlin, Germany
Martin Muske
Affiliation:
Hahn-Meitner-Institut Berlin, Dept. Silizium Photovoltaik, Kekuléstr. 5, 12489 Berlin, Germany
Stefan Gall
Affiliation:
Hahn-Meitner-Institut Berlin, Dept. Silizium Photovoltaik, Kekuléstr. 5, 12489 Berlin, Germany
Walther Fuhs
Affiliation:
Hahn-Meitner-Institut Berlin, Dept. Silizium Photovoltaik, Kekuléstr. 5, 12489 Berlin, Germany
*
* corresponding author: phone: 0049 30 8062 1395, fax: 0049 30 8062 1333, e-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Formation of polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) thin films on inexpensive glass substrates is of great interest for large area electronic devices. Large grain sizes are desirable to reduce grain boundary effects. In the aluminum-induced layer exchange process Al/a-Si bi-layers exchange their positions with a concurrent crystallization of the amorphous Si (a-Si) in a simple annealing step. The process is characterized by the self regulated suppression of nucleation by existing grains resulting in large grain sizes above 10 μm. This paper elucidates the process within the Al Si phase diagram. The change in Si concentration within the Al is shown to cause the nucleation suppression.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 862: Symposium A – Amorphous and Nanocrystalline Silicon Science and Technology–2005 , 2005 , A2.2
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2005

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Footnotes

1

On leave from V. Lashkarev Institute of Semiconductor Physics NAS Ukraine

References

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