Metal-induced solid-phase crystallization of hydrogenated amorphous silicon: dependence on metal type and annealing temperature

We report on metal (Cr, Ni, or Pd)-induced solid-phase crystallization (MISPC) of plasma-enhanced chemical-vapor-deposited hydrogenated amorphous silicon at annealing temperatures ≤600 °C. MISPC is found to significantly reduce the thermal budget of crystallization at annealing temperatures as low as ∼400 °C. The lowest achievable annealing temperature is found to depend on the metal type. The metal type is also found to influence grain size and the conductivity of the polycrystalline silicon.