The effect of dehydrogenation step on the nickel-induced crystallization of hydrogenated amorphous silicon

This work investigates the nickel-induced crystallization (NIC) method for crystallizing hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si: H) thin films on glass substrates. The a-Si: H samples are prepared using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition at a temperature of 250 & DEG;C. Subsequently, thin layers of nickel are deposited on the a-Si: H films using DC magnetron sputtering. The resulting structures (Ni/a-Si: H/glass) are then subjected to annealing at 570 & DEG;C under an N2 atmosphere. Two annealing processes are compared: one involving a prior dehydrogenation step and the other without dehydrogenation. The impact of the annealing process on the crystallization of the amorphous films is investigated using X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Raman spectroscopy. The crystallinity of the samples is confirmed by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. The results suggest that the dehydrogenation step may not be essential for achieving crystallization in hydrogenated amorphous silicon layers.

Automated summary

This study investigates the nickel-induced crystallization method for crystallizing hydrogenated amorphous silicon thin films on glass substrates. The results suggest that the dehydrogenation step may not be essential for achieving crystallization in hydrogenated amorphous silicon layers.