Effect of Al addition on the crystallization of a-Al Si1− (0.025 ⩽x⩽ 0.100) by electron-beam irradiation

Abstract Si crystals and nano-rods were formed in Al-added amorphous Si films (a-AlxSi1−x; 0.025 ⩽ x ⩽ 0.100) by the irradiation of a focused electron-beam; the films were in situ heated to be kept at 400 °C and the current density of the electron-beam was 15.7 pA/cm2. The size, shape, and concentration of the Si crystallites were varied sensitively with the Al content as well as the irradiation time. Under the electron-beam irradiation, crystallization occurred to produce polycrystalline phases in the a-Al0.025Si0.975 film, while rod-shaped Si nanostructures were formed in the a-Al0.050Si0.950 and a-Al0.100Si0.900 film. It is evident that the removal of Al and as a result the atomic rearrangements and/or local restructuring in the Al/a-Si film are critically affected by the electron-beam irradiation, which lead to the local crystallization and growth of Si nanocrystallites.