Effects of Power Density and Thickness On Aluminum-Induced Crystallization of PECVD Amorphous Silicon

Abstract

AbstractThe effect of power density and thickness on aluminum-induced crystallization (AIC) of amorphous silicon (a-Si) formed with plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) was studied by using N2-protected conventional furnace reaction and optical microscopy. With the deposition power density ranging from 0.05 to 1.00 W/cm2 and the thickness from 500 to 5000Å, it was found that a low power density as well as a large a-Si thickness could result in a decrease of activation energy and therefore a significant reduction of the AIC reaction temperature. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction were used to check the crystallinity and quality of the AIC thin films. High quality polysilicon thin films were achieved at an AIC reaction temperature as low as 120°C.