Optical in situ monitoring of solid phase crystallization of amorphous silicon

Abstract

Solid phase crystallization of amorphous silicon proceeds via random nucleation and growth of crystalline nuclei. We demonstrate a simple technique that allows to extract characteristic energy barriers governing the crystallization process. Low pressure chemical vapor deposition from disilane serves to deposit amorphous Si films at 450°C, which are then crystallized at temperatures around 600°C. Monitoring the time-dependent optical transmission of the crystallizing Si film allows for the calculation of the energetic barriers of the crystallization process without knowing the optical constants of the films under investigation.