Formation of micrometer-order-thick poly-Si films on textured glass substrates by flash lamp annealing of a-Si films prepared by catalytic chemical vapor deposition

We investigate the microstructures of polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) films formed by flash lamp annealing (FLA) of 4.5-μm-thick precursor a-Si films prepared by catalytic chemical vapor deposition (Cat-CVD) on Cr-coated textured glass substrates. Crystallization of a-Si is performed, keeping the dome-shaped structure formed during deposition of a-Si. The poly-Si film consists of densely-packed fine grains with sizes on the order of 10 nm. The grain size tends to increase approaching the Si/Cr interface, which can be understood as the result of solid-phase nucleation and following crystallization. Minority carrier lifetimes of the poly-Si films are worse than those formed on flat substrates. This degradation might be due to gaps in the Si layer formed during a-Si deposition or FLA.