Fabrication and electrical properties of polycrystalline Si films on glass substrates

• High quality pc-Si thin films were prepared on glass at low temperature of 500 °C.
• The pc-Si films exhibit excellent electrical properties.
• The pc-Si films can be used for solar cells, displays, thin film transistors, etc.

Al-induced a-Si crystallization process has been used to prepare polycrystalline Si (pc-Si) thin films on glass substrates. It has been found that the glass/Al/Al2O3/a-Si multilayer could be transformed into the structure of glass/Si/Al2O3/Al via a thermal treatment at 500 °C for 5 h. The Si layer in the glass/Si/Al2O3/Al system is in the polycrystalline state and exhibits a high crystallographic quality, a dense and continuous surface morphology, an average grain size of ∼18 μm, a ∼2.6 × 1019 cm−3 hole concentration and a ∼24.2 cm2/V s hole mobility. The crystallographic quality and electrical performance of the pc-Si film can be further improved by increasing crystallization time and temperature. The obtained pc-Si material may be a suitable candidate for the solar cells.

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