Effect of electron-beam irradiation on the formation of nanocrystalline Si in Al-added amorphous Si films

Abstract

Si nanocrystallites of ~ 10 nm were formed in Al-added amorphous Si films by the irradiation of a focused electron-beam; the crystallite volume fraction in the films varied from ~ 35.7 to ~ 94.8 % as the in-situ temperature was raised from 200 to 400 degC. The activation energy for the nucleation of Si crystallites in the a-Al0.025Si0.975 film under the electron-beam irradiation was measured to be 0.8 plusmn 0.13 eV.