title: Polycrystalline silicon films with nanometer-sized dense fine grains formed by flash-lamp-induced crystallization.
abstract: Flash lamp annealing (FLA) with millisecond-order pulse duration can crystallize microm-order-thick a-Si films on glass substrates through explosive crystallization (EC), and flash-lamp-crystallized (FLC) poly-Si films consist of densely-packed nanometer-sized fine grains. We investigate the impact of the hydrogen concentration and the defect density of precursor a-Si films on crystallization mechanism and the microstructures of FLC poly-Si films, by comparing chemical-vapor-deposited (CVD) and sputtered precursor a-Si films. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observation reveals that FLC poly-Si films with similar periodic microstructures are formed by the FLA of the two kinds of precursor films, meaning no significant influence of hydrogen atoms and defect density on crystallization mechanism. This high flexibility of the properties of precursor a-Si films would contribute to a wide process window to reproducibly form FLC poly-Si films with the particular periodic microstructures.
authors.affiliation: Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST), 1-1 Asahidai, Nomi, Ishikawa 923-1292, Japan.
authors.forename: Keisuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ohdaira
authors.forename: Shohei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ishii
authors.forename: Naohito
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tomura
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Matsumura
mesh_terms: D003460:Crystallization / Q000379:methods*; D008027:Light; D008029:Lighting / Q000379:methods*; D046911:Macromolecular Substances / Q000737:chemistry / Q000528:radiation effects; D008422:Materials Testing; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D008968:Molecular Conformation / Q000528:radiation effects; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D010316:Particle Size; D012825:Silicon / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D013499:Surface Properties / Q000528:radiation effects
chemical_list: D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D012825:Silicon