Al-mediated Solid-Phase Epitaxy of Silicon-On-Insulator

Abstract

Silicon-on-insulator (SOI) regions have been grown on lithographically predetermined positions by Al-mediated Solid-Phase Epitaxy (SPE) of amorphous silicon (α-Si). A controllable Si lateral overgrowth is induced from windows formed in silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ) to the crystalline Si substrate. The resulting hundred-of-nanometer large areas of high-quality monocrystalline SOI are formed at the temperatures that can be as low as 400 °C. The as-obtained SOI regions were found to take on the same crystal orientation as the (100)-Si substrate and have the ability to merge seamlessly over the oxide.

Hetero-epitaxial growth of stoichiometry tunable Si1−xGexfilm via a low temperature aluminium-induced solid phase epitaxy (AI-SPE) process

“…As the temperature increases to 450°C (5°C min −1 ), the Al grain boundaries disappear which may suggest that a-Si 1−x Ge x decomposes into the form of free atoms that diffuse along Al grain boundaries into the Al layer (Fig. 13,14,[23][24][25][26][27] As the free atoms continuously diffuse across the Al layer and accumulate up to the saturation concentration of precipitation, nuclei form at the interface between Al and the sc-Si (100) substrate (Fig.…”