Aluminum-induced Rapid Crystallization Of Amorphous Silicon Films In An Electric Field At Low Temperature

Compared to amorphous silicon (a-Si) films, polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) films are better for photoelectric applications, such as solar cells, thin-film transistors (TFTs), and switching electronics in many flat-panel displays. Poly-Si can be produced by laser crystallization of a-Si, metal-induced crystallization of a-Si, and many other methods. In these methods, metal-induced crystallization (MIC) of a-Si is in regular use.This investigation provides an insight into the influence of an electric field on Al-induced crystallization of a-Si by contrasting the difference in structure, surfaces and crystallization rates between samples annealed in the presence of an electric field and samples annealed without an electric field.The test results show that an electric field can obviously decrease the annealing temperature and shorten the full crystallization time of a-Si films. A-Si films of 1.2um, annealed at 400 癈 for 60 minutes, all transform into poly-Si films in the presence of an electric field of 20V/cm. When the intensity of the electric field increases to 120V/cm, the a-Si films can transform into poly-Si films completely at 450癈 in only 30 minutes.Based upon the test results, the mechanism of Al-induced crystallization of a-Si affected by an electric field was put forward. And a new method for the mechanism study of Al-induced crystallization of a-Si is brought out.