Synthesis of Silicon Nano-fibrous (SiNf) thin film with controlled thickness and electrical resistivity

Abstract

Abstract Considering abundance of silicon on earth with its known acceptance in semiconductor industries and increasing applications of nano porous thin films in various sensors, electrical circuits, new generation batteries, and capacitors, it is essential to comprehend the resistive behavior offered by Silicon Nano-fibrous (SiNf) thin films. We present a novel approach of laser plasma processing of silicon surface to fabricate SiNf thin films with diverse range of resistivity. Parallel plate electrode configuration was employed to measure the resistance offered by SiNf thin film fabricated using various laser parameters. Pulsation width of laser was varied to affect the plasma temperature causing variation in suitable ablation conditions. In addition, scanning parameter of leading(i.e.distance between two consecutive scan with laser beam) was modified to change the extent of silicon surface covered under direct laser gaussian beam causing variation in process overlap. Along with the resistive nature of the thin films, topological changes were also studied for the sound understanding and validation of respective resistive behavior. Significant difference was noticed in terms thickness, structure and resistivity of SiNf thin film when such variation was performed. Also, successful correlation was attained with sound support of various analysis and surface characterization tests.