Low-temperature Au-induced crystallization of hydrogenated amorphous Si0.5Ge0.5 thin films using Au solution

Low-temperature (∼400 °C) metal-induced crystallization of hydrogenated amorphous Si0.5Ge0.5 thin films using Au solution has been investigated by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectra, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. It was shown that Au solution significantly promotes the crystallization of the films at low temperatures. The effects of annealing temperature and concentration of the Au solution on the structure and morphology of the films were analyzed. The increase in crystallinity was observed with increasing the annealing temperature. The Raman shifts of Ge-Ge and Si-Ge peaks with the annealing temperature were also discussed.