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| Author(s): |
Lucas Romano Muniz
Total Authors: 1
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| Document type: | Master's Dissertation |
| Press: | Campinas, SP. |
| Institution: | Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Instituto de Física Gleb Wataghin |
| Defense date: | 2007-12-03 |
| Examining board members: |
Ivan Emilio Chambouleyron;
Jose Humberto Dias da Silva;
Eduardo Granado Monteiro da Silva
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| Advisor: | Ivan Emilio Chambouleyron |
| Abstract | |
This research work studies the microscopic mechanisms leading to the low-temperature crystallization of amorphous germanium (a-Ge) films induced by aluminum. The crystallization process was studied in Al-doped samples and also in multi-layer structures possessing an Al layer sandwiched between the substrate and the a-Ge film. In the case of Al-doped samples, we contribute to confirm the importance of hydrogenation and to establish the fundamental role played by the substrate in the crystallization process. For such a purpose, four series of a-Ge(Al) samples, deposited under identical nominal conditions, were studied: hydrogenated and H-free samples deposited onto crystalline silicon and onto glass substrates. On purpose, the impurity concentration was kept at a doping level (10 -5 < [Al/Ge] < 2x10 -3 ). Furthermore, the films were submitted to cumulative 15 min. thermal annealing steps in the 200-500 ºC range. Raman scattering spectroscopy was used to characterize the crystallization process. The role of the Al impurity as a precursor seed for the crystallization of a-Ge:H has been definitely confirmed, an indication that the Al-induced MIC phenomenon occurs at an atomic level. The evolution of the crystalline fraction with annealing temperature and the analysis of the crystallite size distribution strongly suggest that the formation of the crystal seeds occurs at the amorphous film-substrate interface during deposition. The multi-layer samples did not crystallize at low temperatures. Films of a-Ge with varied thicknesses (12-2600 nm) were deposited onto c-Si and onto glass substrates covered with a thin (200 nm) Al layer. Similar samples were also deposited onto c-Si substrates but without the metallic layer. After deposition, the samples were submitted to cumulative 15 min. thermal treatments in the 200-700 ºC range. In some samples, 'Ge IND.X' e 'Si IND.1-x' alloy micro-crystals form within the intermediate Al layer. The diffusion of Ge and Si atoms through the aluminum layer allowed the formation of such alloys at high temperatures (600-700 ºC). The formation of Si-Ge alloys depends on the thickness of the a-Ge layer and also on the nature of the substrate. The thermal annealing of the aluminum-free structures lead to the crystallization of the a-Ge film only (AU) | |