In-Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy Investigation of Aluminum Induced Crystallization of Amorphous Silicon

Abstract

The interaction of amorphous silicon and aluminum films to achieve polycrystalline silicon has been investigated using transmission electron microscope equipped with in-situ heating holder. Carbon coated nickel grids were used for TEM studies. An ultra high vacuum cluster tool was used for the deposition of a ∼50nm a-Si films and a vacuum deposition system was used to deposit a ∼50nm Al films on a-Si film. The microstructural features and electron diffraction in the plain view mode were observed with increase in temperature starting from room temperature to 275 °C. The specimen was loaded inside TEM heating holder. The temperature was measured and kept constant for 5 minutes during which the microstructure at fixed magnification of X63K was recorded and the electron diffraction pattern of the same area was also recorded. The temperature was then increase and fixed at desired value and microstructure and EDP were again recorded. The temperatures used in this experiment were 30, 100, 150, 200, 225, 275°C. A sequential change in microstructural features and electron diffraction pattern due to interfacial diffusion of boundary between Al and amorphous Si was investigated. Evolution of polycrystalline silicon with randomly oriented grains as a result of a-Si and Al interaction was revealed. After the in-situ heating experiment the specimen was subjected to high resolution TEM and EDS investigations after removing the excess Al. The EDS analysis of the crystallized specimen was performed to locate the Al distribution in the crystallized silicon. These studies show that the Al induced crystallization process can be used to prepare polycrystalline as well as nanocrystalline silicon by controlling the in-situ annealing parameters. The investigations are very useful as the nanocrystalline silicon is being investigated for its use in developing high efficiency silicon solar structures.