title: Transmission electron microscopy and X-Ray diffraction analysis of aluminum-induced crystallization of amorphous silicon in alpha-Si:H/Al and Al/alpha-Si:H structures.
abstract: Solid phase crystallization of plasma-enhanced chemical-vapor-deposited (PECVD) amorphous silicon (alpha-Si:H) in alpha-Si:H/Al and Al/alpha-Si:H structures has been investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Radiative heating has been used to anneal films deposited on carbon-coated nickel (Ni) grids at temperatures between 200 and 400 degrees C for TEM studies. alpha-Si:H films were deposited on c-Si substrates using high vacuum (HV) PECVD for the XRD studies. TEM studies show that crystallization of alpha-Si:H occurs at 200 degrees C when Al film is deposited on top of the alpha-Si:H film. Similar behavior was observed in the XRD studies. In the case of alpha-Si:H deposited on top of Al films, the crystallization could not be observed at 400 degrees C by TEM and even up to 500 degrees C as seen by XRD.
authors.affiliation: Electron Microscopy, National Physical Laboratory, Dr. K.S. Krishnan Road, New Delhi 110012, India. rkishore@mail.nplindia.ernet.in
authors.forename: Ram
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kishore
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hotz
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Naseem
authors.forename: W D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Brown