Impact of Rapid Crystallization of Si Using Nickel-Metal-Induced Lateral Crystallization on Thin-Film Transistor Characteristics

Abstract

A method for studying the structure and thermodynamic properties of interfaces between coexisting fluid phases has been developed recently. The density functional approach employs correlation functions calculated from reference hypernetted-chain integral equations. We report here results for liquid-liquid interfaces: the interface of a symmetrical binary Lennard-Jones mixture, a mixture of particles with different sizes and a polar-nonpolar liquid interface. Also model potentials for argon, CHF 3 , C 6 H 12 and H 2 O are tested with respect to surface properties.

Three-Dimensionally Orientation-Controlled Ge Rods on an Insulator Formed by Low-Temperature Ni-Induced Lateral Crystallization

“…The dot-like domains in the amorphous region correspond to the spontaneous nucleation of Ge. According to the previous studies on MILC, spontaneously generated crystal nuclei or clusters, which were too small to be detected by optical microscopy or Raman spectroscopy, stopped the MILC. , The MILC region was relatively large for sample B, indicating that the precursor condition affected MILC and SPC. , The crystalline Ge (c-Ge) peaks were all shifted to the lower frequency side compared to that of the sc-Ge wafer (Figure d). This behavior can be explained by the following two factors: the difference in thermal expansion coefficients between the Ge and the SiO 2 substrate and the increase of the lattice constant of Ge by the Sn incorporation. , According to the Raman shift, the substituted Sn composition in the MILC region was estimated to be 1.5%, for sample C .…”

“…These results are consistent with the small misorientation determined by the EBSD analyses. Because similar Si layers formed by MILC were actually effective in improving the TFT performance, − the current Ge layer is also promising for TFT applications.…”

“…Metal-induced lateral crystallization (MILC) has been identified as a method to lower the crystallization temperature of semiconductor thin films and control the grain boundary direction and crystal orientation in the channel region. − Using MILC for Si, stable TFT performance was demonstrated. − The MILC of Ge has also been investigated using various metal catalysts, such as Ni, − Co, , Pd, , Cu, , Sn, and Au . These metals successfully provide the MILC of Ge at low temperatures (<400 °C).…”

Grain-Boundary-Aligned Ge Thin Films Formed by Au-Induced Lateral Crystallization with a Multilayer Structure

“…Low-temperature polycrystalline Si layers used in thin-film transistors (TFTs) for display devices are currently being formed using laser annealing. However, because of the complexity of the process and the problems of surface irregularities during melting, approaches to low-temperature solid-phase crystallization using metal catalysts have been considered. , Metal-induced lateral crystallization (MILC) is an attractive method because it allows for unidirectional control of grain boundaries while reducing the crystallization temperature of Si. − High-performance Si TFTs have been demonstrated using MILC. − …”

Improving the quality factor of polycrystalline Si thin-film micromechanical resonators by metal-induced lateral crystallization using biomineralized Ni nanoparticles

“…Because MILC growth speed depends on the annealing temperature, the annealing conditions should be determined to fulfill the requirements for poly-Si film. 30 So far, MILC was performed under 500-550 C for 20-25 h for electronics devices fabrication. 31 Each of the crystallized areas can then be used to fabricate the body of a MEMS device.…”