Fundamentals of Metal‐induced Crystallization of Amorphous Semiconductors

Abstract A general, quantitative model has been developed that provides fundamental understanding of the metal‐induced crystallization (MIC) of amorphous semiconductors. Interface thermodynamics has been shown to play a decisive role for the whether or not occurrence of MIC. The model has been employed to predict the MIC temperature for various metal/amorphous‐semiconductor systems. A consequence of the model is the prediction that the thickness of an ultrathin, pure Al film put on the top of an amorphous Si layer can be used as a very accurate tool to tune the crystallization temperature of amorphous Si. These theoretical predictions have been confirmed experimentally. The fundamental understanding reached may lead to pronounced technological progress in the low‐temperature manufacturing of crystalline‐Si‐based devices deposited on cheap and flexible substrates such as glasses, plastics, and possibly even papers.