In-situ heating observation for formation behavior of polycrystalline silicon thin films fabricated using aluminum induced crystallization

The formation behavior of polycrystalline silicon thin films during the aluminum induced crystallization (AIC) was investigated by in-situ heating transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The electron dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis of annealed sample was showed that layer exchange of the a-Si/Al film is occurred during the annealing. Furthermore, from the in-situ heating TEM observation and EDS analysis of as-deposited sample, it was confirmed the co-existence of Si and Al in a-Si/Al film and the lateral growth of crystalline Si grain. The mechanism of AIC and layer exchange were discussed from the experimental results and the phase diagram of Al-Si system.