Recrystallization of amorphized polycrystalline silicon films on SiO2: Temperature dependence of the crystallization parameters
01 Sep 1987-Journal of Applied Physics (American Institute of Physics)-Vol. 62, Iss: 5, pp 1675-1681
TL;DR: In this paper, a theoretical and experimental study of the recrystallization behavior of polycrystalline silicon films amorphized by self-implantation was carried out and the crystallization behavior was found to be similar to the crystallisation behavior of films deposited in the amorphous state, however, a transient time was observed, during which negligible crystallization occurs.
Abstract: This paper presents a theoretical and experimental study of the recrystallization behavior of polycrystalline silicon films amorphized by self‐implantation. The crystallization behavior was found to be similar to the crystallization behavior of films deposited in the amorphous state, as reported in the literature; however, a transient time was observed, during which negligible crystallization occurs. The films were prepared by low‐pressure chemical vapor deposition onto thermally oxidized silicon wafers and amorphized by implantation of silicon ions. The transient time, nucleation rate, and characteristic crystallization time were determined from the crystalline fraction and density of grains in partially recrystallized samples for anneal temperatures from 580 to 640 °C. The growth velocity was calculated from the nucleation rate and crystallization time and is lower than values in the literature for films deposited in the amorphous state. The final grain size, as calculated from the crystallization param...
Citations
More filters
TL;DR: In this paper, a-Si precursors are used for the preparation of the material by direct deposition and by crystallization from pre-deposition precursor, and the characterization of the defect-induced trapping states within the material and their passivation is presented.
Abstract: During the past decade there has been a rapid growth of interest in poly-Si for the active device layer in thin film transistors (TFTS) for active matrix flat-panel displays. Whilst the early work, demonstrating the high carrier mobility of these devices, employed processing temperatures of approximately 1000 degrees C and quartz susbtrates, this was soon followed by the investigation of lower-temperature processes which were compatible with the use of glass substrates. Some of the key aspects of this work are reviewed in this article: the preparation of the material by direct deposition and by crystallization from a-Si precursors, the characterization of the defect-induced trapping states within the material and their passivation, and the present understanding of the TFT leakage current mechanisms. This work is put into the context of the requirements for active matrix liquid-crystal displays, and, with the understanding and control of poly-Si which has been achieved to date, its application in this area can be expected to increase rapidly in the coming years.
333 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the most significant experimental observations related to ion-beam-induced amorphization in Si and the models that have been developed to describe the process are described and analyzed.
Abstract: Ion-beam-induced amorphization in Si has attracted significant interest since the beginning of the use of ion implantation for the fabrication of Si devices. A number of theoretical calculations and experiments were designed to provide a better understanding of the mechanisms behind the crystal-to-amorphous transition in Si. Nowadays, a renewed interest in the modeling of amorphization mechanisms at atomic level has arisen due to the use of preamorphizing implants and high dopant implantation doses for the fabrication of nanometric-scale Si devices. In this paper we will describe the most significant experimental observations related to the ion-beam-induced amorphization in Si and the models that have been developed to describe the process. Amorphous Si formation by ion implantation is the result of a critical balance between the damage generation and its annihilation. Implantation cascades generate different damage configurations going from isolated point defects and point defect clusters in essentially ...
302 citations
Patent•
03 Mar 1993TL;DR: In this paper, a patterning of the deposition of the nucleating site forming material on the glass substrate was proposed to selectively crystallize only in areas in contact with the forming material.
Abstract: A fabrication process polycrystalline silicon thin film transistors commences with the deposition of an ultra-thin nucleating-site forming layer onto the surface of an insulating substrate (e.g., 7059 glass). Next, an amorphous silicon film is deposited thereover and the combined films are annealed at temperatures that do not exceed 600° C. By patterning the deposition of the nucleating site forming material on the glass substrate, the subsequently deposited amorphous film can be selectively crystallized only in areas in contact with the nucleating-site forming material.
251 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors proposed a system-on-glass (SOC) display architecture, in which the entire electronic circuitry needed for a product is incorporated directly onto a glass substrate.
Abstract: The fabrication of thin-film-transistor (TFT) devices on a transparent substrate lies at the heart of active-matrix-liquid-crystal-display (AMLCD) technology. This is both good and bad. On one hand it is a difficult task to manufacture millions of intricate semiconductor devices reliably over such large display substrates. On the positive side, AMLCD technology can aspire to become much more than a “display” technology. The idea is as follows: It is possible for one to readily fabricate additional transistors to execute various electronic functions—those that would otherwise be handled by separate large-scale-integration (LSI) and very large-scale-integration (VLSI) circuits—on the periphery of the display. Since this can be done, in principle, with no—or a minimal number of—additional processing steps, substantial cost reduction is possible and significant value can be added to the final product.Doing so and doing it well can ultimately lead to “system-on-glass” products in which the entire electronic circuitry needed for a product is incorporated directly onto a glass substrate. This means that integrated active-matrix liquid-crystal displays (IAMLCDs) have the potential to bypass conventional Si-wafer-based products and may lead TFT technology to compete directly against Si-wafer-based monolithic integrated circuits.
197 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a review of the self-implantation method for polycrystalline silicon thin transistors is presented, and the mechanism of selective amorphization by the silicon self implantation and the crystallization by thermal annealing is discussed.
Abstract: A review is presented of the self‐implantation method which has been developed to achieve high‐quality polycrystalline silicon thin films on insulators with enhanced grain sizes and its applications to thin‐film transistors (TFTs). In this method, silicon ions are implanted into an as‐deposited polycrystalline silicon thin film to amorphize most of the film structure. Depending on ion implantation conditions, some seeds with 〈110〉 orientation remain in the film structure due to channeling. The film is then thermally annealed at relatively low temperatures, typically in the range of 550–700 °C. With optimized process conditions, average grain sizes of 1 μm or greater can be obtained. First, an overview is given of the thin‐film transistor technology which has been the greatest motivation for the research and development of the self‐implantation method. Then the mechanism of selective amorphization by the silicon self‐implantation and the crystallization by thermal annealing is discussed. An analytical mode...
163 citations
References
More filters
TL;DR: In this paper, the theory of phase change is developed with the experimentally supported assumptions that the new phase is nucleated by germ nuclei which already exist in the old phase, and whose number can be altered by previous treatment.
Abstract: The theory of the kinetics of phase change is developed with the experimentally supported assumptions that the new phase is nucleated by germ nuclei which already exist in the old phase, and whose number can be altered by previous treatment. The density of germ nuclei diminishes through activation of some of them to become growth nuclei for grains of the new phase, and ingestion of others by these growing grains. The quantitative relations between the density of germ nuclei, growth nuclei, and transformed volume are derived and expressed in terms of a characteristic time scale for any given substance and process. The geometry and kinetics of a crystal aggregate are studied from this point of view, and it is shown that there is strong evidence of the existence, for any given substance, of an isokinetic range of temperatures and concentrations in which the characteristic kinetics of phase change remains the same. The determination of phase reaction kinetics is shown to depend upon the solution of a functional equation of a certain type. Some of the general properties of temperature‐time and transformation‐time curves, respectively, are described and explained.
9,458 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a relation between the actual transformed volume V and a related extended volume V1 ex is derived upon statistical considerations, and a rough approximation to this relation is shown to lead, under the proper conditions, to the empirical formula of Austin and Rickett.
Abstract: Following upon the general theory in Part I, a considerable simplification is here introduced in the treatment of the case where the grain centers of the new phase are randomly distributed. Also, the kinetics of the main types of crystalline growth, such as result in polyhedral, plate‐like and lineal grains, are studied. A relation between the actual transformed volume V and a related extended volume V1 ex is derived upon statistical considerations. A rough approximation to this relation is shown to lead, under the proper conditions, to the empirical formula of Austin and Rickett. The exact relation is used to reduce the entire problem to the determination of V1 ex, in terms of which all other quantities are expressed. The approximate treatment of the beginning of transformation in the isokinetic range is shown to lead to the empirical formula of Krainer and to account quantitatively for certain relations observed in recrystallization phenomena. It is shown that the predicted shapes for isothermal transfo...
7,448 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a comprehensive description of the phenomena of phase change may be summarized in Phase Change, Grain Number and Microstructure Formulas or Diagrams, giving, respectively, the transformed volume, grain, and microstructure densities as a function of time, temperature, and other variables.
Abstract: The theory of the preceding papers is generalized and the notation simplified. A cluster of molecules in a stable phase surrounded by an unstable phase is itself unstable until a critical size is reached, though for statistical reasons a distribution of such clusters may exist. Beyond the critical size, the cluster tends to grow steadily. The designation ``nuclei'' or ``grains'' is used according as the clusters are below or above the critical size. It is shown that a comprehensive description of the phenomena of phase change may be summarized in Phase Change, Grain Number and Microstructure Formulas or Diagrams, giving, respectively, the transformed volume, grain, and microstructure densities as a function of time, temperature, and other variables. To facilitate the deduction of formulas for these densities the related densities of the ``extended'' grain population are introduced. The extended population is that system of interpenetrating volumes that would obtain if the grains granulated and grew through each other without mutual interference. The extended densities are much more readily derivable from an analysis of the fundamental processes of granulation and growth. It is shown that, under very general circumstances, the densities of the actual grain population may be expressed simply in terms of the extended population.
5,550 citations
TL;DR: The theory of homogeneous nucleation of liquid drops in supersaturated vapours is reviewed in this paper, and a new kinetic treatment which accounts for the heating of the growing clusters due to the latent heat of condensation is presented, and the irreversible thermodynamics of non-isothermal nucleation discussed.
Abstract: The theory of homogeneous nucleation of liquid drops in supersaturated vapours is reviewed. A new kinetic treatment which accounts for the heating of the growing clusters due to the latent heat of condensation is presented, and the irreversible thermodynamics of non-isothermal nucleation discussed. It is found that growing clusters are generally colder than the surrounding vapour during their sub-critical growth period. Time dependent nucleation is discussed and a simple estimate for the time-lag in establishing the steady state is given. The nucleation in cloud chambers expanding with constant speed is discussed in detail, and the number of droplets formed and their final mean size is calculated as a function of the terminal expansion ratio. Re-evaporation of nucleated clusters is discussed. Numerical results are given for a number of typical situations in experiments on water-vapour. These results for the nucleation rate as corrected by Lothe and Pound predict much lower ‘critical’ expansion ra...
576 citations
TL;DR: Amorphous layers, approximately 4000 A thick, were formed on single-crystal Si samples by implantation of 28Si ions at LN2 substrate temperature as mentioned in this paper, where channeling effect measurements with MeV 4He ions were used to measure the thickness of the amorphous layers and to measure subsequent epitaxial regrowth on the underlying crystalline substrates.
Abstract: Amorphous layers, approximately 4000 A thick, were formed on single‐crystal Si samples by implantation of 28Si ions at LN2 substrate temperature. Channeling‐effect measurements with MeV 4He ions were used to measure the thickness of the amorphous layers and to measure the subsequent epitaxial regrowth on the underlying crystalline substrates. For annealing temperatures between 450 and 575 °C, the growth rate showed a strong dependence on the substrate orientation with 〈100〉‐oriented samples exhibiting about a 25 times higher growth rate than 〈111〉‐oriented samples. Measurements of the growth rate on a series of samples cut in 5° angular increments show that there is a monotonic decrease from the 〈100〉 to the 〈111〉 orientation. A simple model is proposed to explain the observed orientation dependence.
543 citations