Ni-imprint induced solid-phase crystallization in Si_1-xGe _x (x: 0-1) on insulator

Position control of solid-phase crystallization in the amorphous Si1-x Gex (x: 0-1) films on insulating substrates was investigated by using Ni-imprint technique. Crystal nucleation at the imprinted positions proceeded approximately 2-20 times, depending on Ge fraction, faster than the conventional solid-phase crystallization, which was due to the catalytic effect of Ni. As a result, large SiGe crystal regions (∼2 μm) were obtained at controlled positions. On the other hand, the growth velocity did not changed, which suggested that grown regions contained few residual Ni atoms.