In-situ X-ray Diffraction study of Metal Induced Crystallization of amorphous silicon

By covering amorphous silicon (a-Si) with a thin metal film, it is possible to lower the crystallization temperature of the a-Si (typically around 800 °C when using ramp anneals) to levels which can be used in a manufacturing process. This phenomenon of Metal Induced Crystallization (MIC) has been reported previously for Ni, Au and Al. In this work, in-situ X-ray Diffraction was used to study the MIC process for 20 different metals (Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, W, Mn, Re, Fe, Ru, Co, Rh, Ir, Ni, Pd, Pt, Cu, Ag, Au, Al). The 7 metals which lower the crystallization temperature the most are Ni, Pt, Pd, Cu, Au, Al and Ag. The crystallization kinetics were studied in detail for these 7 materials. In order to explain the MIC process, two models where used depending on the interaction of the metal with Si (eutectic or compound forming).