Effects of tin doping on crystallization of amorphous silicon were studied using Raman scattering, Auger spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray fluorescence techniques. Formation of silicon nanocrystals (2–4 nm in size) in the amorphous matrix of Si1−xSnx, obtained by physical vapor deposition of the components in vacuum, was observed at temperatures around 300 °C. The aggregate volume of nanocrystals in the deposited film of Si1−xSnx exceeded 60% of the total film volume and correlated well with the tin content. Formation of structures with ∼80% partial volume of the nanocrystalline phase was also demonstrated. Tin-induced crystallization of amorphous silicon occurred only around the clusters of metallic tin, which suggested the crystallization mechanism involving an interfacial molten Si:Sn layer.

Formation of Si nanocrystals in amorphous Si-metallic Sn film structures has been studied experimentally, by using the Auger spectroscopy, electron microscopy, and Raman scattering methods. The results are analyzed in comparison with recent results on the crystallization of tin-doped amorphous Si. A mechanism of silicon transformation from the amorphous to the nanocrystalline state in the eutectic layer at the Si-Sn interface is proposed. The mechanism essence consists in a cyclic repetition of the processes of formation and decay of the Si-Sn solution. The application aspect of this mechanism for the fabrication of nanosilicon films used in solar cells is discussed. K e y w o r d s: silicon, nanocrystals, thin films, metal-induced crystallization, tin, solar cell.

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