TY - JOUR

T1 - Fabrication of polycrystalline silicon thin films by gold-induced crystallization of amorphous silicon suboxide

AU - Zamchiy, A. O.

AU - Baranov, E. A.

AU - Starinskiy, S. V.

AU - Lunev, N. A.

AU - Merkulova, I. E.

N1 - Funding Information: This study was financially supported by the Russian Science Foundation, project # 19-79-10143. Raman and TEM studies were performed using the equipment of the Center of collective usage ‘‘VTAN” in the ATRC department of NSU. The authors are grateful to G.K. Krivyakin for carrying out the TEM investigation of samples. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 Elsevier Ltd

PY - 2021/10

Y1 - 2021/10

N2 - In this work, polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) thin films were synthesized using Au-induced crystallization of amorphous silicon suboxide for the first time. The structure and elemental composition of the substrate/Au/a-SiO0.4 stacked structure annealed at 500–700°C were investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). TEM and Raman methods confirmed the formation of a poly-Si thin film in the bottom layer (on the substrate) as a result of annealing. At the same time, TEM and EDX studies showed the formation of a thin (barrier) SiO2 layer with a thickness of ~5 nm located between the poly-Si thin film and the upper layer consisting of Au, Si, and O. Based on the results, a mechanism for the growth of poly-Si thin films is proposed which has features (dewetting of Au films and formation of a barrier SiO2 layer) that are not characteristic of the well-known layer exchange process.

AB - In this work, polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) thin films were synthesized using Au-induced crystallization of amorphous silicon suboxide for the first time. The structure and elemental composition of the substrate/Au/a-SiO0.4 stacked structure annealed at 500–700°C were investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). TEM and Raman methods confirmed the formation of a poly-Si thin film in the bottom layer (on the substrate) as a result of annealing. At the same time, TEM and EDX studies showed the formation of a thin (barrier) SiO2 layer with a thickness of ~5 nm located between the poly-Si thin film and the upper layer consisting of Au, Si, and O. Based on the results, a mechanism for the growth of poly-Si thin films is proposed which has features (dewetting of Au films and formation of a barrier SiO2 layer) that are not characteristic of the well-known layer exchange process.

KW - Gold-induced crystallization

KW - Phase transformation

KW - Polycrystalline silicon

KW - Silicon suboxide

KW - Thin films

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85110464730&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.vacuum.2021.110462

DO - 10.1016/j.vacuum.2021.110462

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85110464730

VL - 192

JO - Vacuum

JF - Vacuum

SN - 0042-207X

M1 - 110462

ER -