Study of Polycrystalline and Amorphous LPCVD Silicon Films by Atomic Force Microscopy

Autor: H. Noll, A. Pleschinger, J. Lutz, M. Pippan, F. Kuchar
Rok vydání: 1997
Předmět:
Zdroj: Surface and Interface Analysis. 25:529-532
ISSN: 1096-9918
0142-2421
DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1096-9918(199706)25:7/8<529::aid-sia263>3.0.co;2-s
Popis: The surface topography and structure of low-pressure chemical vapour-deposited silicon films grown on the thermal oxide of (100) silicon substrates have been investigated using atomic force microscopy. The measurements have been performed on undoped as-grown samples with deposition temperatures between 550 and 630°C and after ex situ phosphorus doping for samples deposited at 620°C. The transition from amorphous to polycrystalline deposition of the silicon film takes place in the temperature range 570-600°C. At 570°C a small number of crystallites are embedded in an amorphous matrix. With increasing temperature the number of crystallites grows rapidly and at 600°C the deposited film is polycrystalline. Doping from a POCl 3 source and subsequent annealing of films deposited at 620°C causes complete recrystallization. For the first time it has been possible to investigate the topography and the grain structure of polycrystalline silicon films using a scanning probe technique only. Our clear distinction between these two features allows controversial results from different characterization methods to be clarified.
Databáze: OpenAIRE