Laser-Induced Solid Phase Crystallization in Amorphous Silicon Films

1982 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
G.L. Olson ◽  
S.A. Kokorowski ◽  
J.A. Roth ◽  
L.D. Hess

ABSTRACTWe review recent work on the kinetics of laser-induced solid phase epitaxial crystallization of silicon as determined from time-resolved reflectivity measurements. Specific topics which are addressed include: the intrinsic kinetics of solid phase epitaxy (SPE) in ion-implanted and UHV-deposited films; SPE rate enhancement by implanted dopant atoms and the effects of electrical compensation on the SPE rate; and the temperature dependence of SPE and competing processes in samples containing impurity atoms at concentrations exceeding the solid solubility limit. The high temperature kinetics results are compared with predictions from transition state theory and are discussed with respect to a proposed depression in the amorphous Si melting temperature.

1995 ◽  
Vol 398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua W. Kriesel ◽  
Susanne M. Lee

ABSTRACTUsing rf sputtering and post-deposition annealing in a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), we manufactured bulk (4000 nm) films of crystalline Ge0.83Sn0.17. This Sn concentration is much greater than the solid solubility limit of Sn in Ge (x ≤ 0.01). Continued annealing thermally induces Sn phase separation from the alloy, limiting the ultimate attainable grain size in the metastable crystals. We examine, here, the mechanisms and kinetics of the processes limiting the size of the Ge0.83Sn0.17 polycrystals. From a combination of DSC, electron microprobe, and x-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements, we propose phase transformation mechanisms corresponding to crystallization of amorphous Ge0.83Sn0.17, crystallization of an as-yet unidentified phase of Sn, and phase separation of Sn from the Ge1-xSnx crystals. We were unable to observe the unidentified phase of Sn in XRD, but the phase must be present in the material to account for the quantitative discrepancies (as much as 8 at.%) in Sn percentages determined from each of the DSC, XRD, and electron microprobe measurements. Our models for the various transformation kinetics were corroborated by the subsequent phase-separated Sn melting behavior observed in the DSC: two Sn melting endotherms, one of which was 20–100°C lower than the bulk melting temperature of Sn. This depressed temperature endotherm we speculate represents liquefaction of nanometer-sized (β–Sn clusters.


1981 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Narayan ◽  
G. L. Olson ◽  
O. W. Holland

ABSTRACTTime-resolved-reflectivity measurements have been combined with transmission electron microscopy (cross-section and plan-view), Rutherford backscattering and ion channeling techniques to study the details of laser induced solid phase epitaxial growth in In+ and Sb+ implanted silicon in the temperature range from 725 to 1500 °K. The details of microstructures including the formation of polycrystals, precipitates, and dislocations have been correlated with the dynamics of crystallization. There were limits to the dopant concentrations which could be incorporated into substitutional lattice sites; these concentrations exceeded retrograde solubility limits by factors up to 70 in the case of the Si-In system. The coarsening of dislocation loops and the formation of a/2<110>, 90° dislocations in the underlying dislocation-loop bands are described as a function of laser power.


2002 ◽  
Vol 727 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tae-Sik Yoon ◽  
Ki-Bum Kim

AbstractGe-rich Si1-XGeX nanocrystals are formed by the selective oxidation of Si during the dry oxidation of an amorphous Si0.7Ge0.3 layer. The oxidation kinetics of the alloy film shows the activation energies of linear and parabolic rate constants are about 1.35 and 1.02 eV, respectively, based on the model proposed by Deal and Grove. In addition, as a result of the selective oxidation of Si and Ge pile-up during the oxidation process, Ge-rich Si1-XGeX nanocrystals are formed with the size of 5.6 ± 1.7 nm and the spatial density of 3.6×1011/cm2 at 600°C. At higher temperature of 700 and 800°C, the size of nanocrystal is increased to about 20 nm. The nanocrystals formation by oxidation is thought to be due to higher oxidation rate at grain boundary than at bulk grain. Therefore, the dependence of size on temperature is explained with the grain size determined by solid phase crystallization of amorphous film, oxidation rate, and grain growth.


1994 ◽  
Vol 357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Todd W. Simpson ◽  
Ian V. Mitchell ◽  
Ning Yu ◽  
Michael Nastasi ◽  
Paul C. Mcintyre

AbstractTime resolved optical reflectivity (TRR) and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) and ion channelling methods have been applied to determine the crystallization kinetics of Fe-doped A1203 in the temperature range of 900-1050°C. Amorphous A1203 films, approximately 250 nm thick and with Fe cation concentrations of 0, 1.85, 2.2 and 4.5%, were formed by e-beam deposition on single crystal, [0001] oriented, A1203 substrates. Annealing was performed under an oxygen ambient in a conventional tube furnace, and the optical changes which accompany crystallization were monitored, in situ, by TRR with a 633nm wavelength laser.Crystallization is observed to proceed via solid phase epitaxy. An intermediate, epitaxial phase of -γ-Al203 is formed before the samples reach the ultimate annealing temperature. The 5% Fe-doped film transforms from γ to α-A1203 at a rate approximately 10 times that of the pure A1203 film and the 1.85% and 2.2% Fe-doped films transform at rates between these two extremes. The Fe-dopants occupy substitional lattice sites in the epilayer. Each of the four sets of specimens displays an activation energy in the range 5.0±0.2eV for the γ,α phase transition.


1984 ◽  
Vol 35 ◽  
Author(s):  
G.L. Olson

ABSTRACTRecent progress in studies of temperature dependent kinetic competition during solid phase crystallization of silicon is reviewed. Specific areas which are emphasized include: the enhancement of solid phase epitaxial growth rates by impurity-induced changes in electronic properties at the crystal/amorphous interface, the influence of impurity diffusion and precipitation in amorphous silicon on the kinetics of epitaxial growth, the effects of impurities on the kinetic competition between solid phase epitaxy and random crystallization, and the kinetics of solid phase crystallization at very high temperatures in silicon.


1996 ◽  
Vol 439 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. McCallum

AbstractThe kinetics of intrinsic and dopant-enhanced solid phase epitaxy (SPE) have been measured in buried amorphous Si (a-Si) layers produced by ion implantation. Buried a-Si layers formed by self-ion implantation provide a suitable environment for studies of the intrinsic growth kinetics of amorphous Si, free from the rate-retarding effects of H. For the first time, dopant-enhanced SPE rates have been measured under these H-free conditions. Buried a-Si layers containing uniform As concentration profiles ranging from 1–16.1 × 1019 As.cm−3 were produced by multiple-energy ion implantation and time resolved reflectivity was used to measure SPE rates over the temperature range 480–660°C. In contrast to earlier studies, the dopant-enhanced SPE rate is found to depend linearly on the As concentration over the entire concentration range measured. The SPE rate can be expressed in the form, v/vi(T) = 1 + N/[No exp(-ΔE/kT)], where vi(T) is the intrinsic SPE rate, N is the dopant concentration and No = 1.2 × 1021 cm−3, ΔE = 0.21 eV.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document