Simulation of the Influence of Mechanical Stresses on the Kinetics of Crystallization of Ion-Implanted Silicon Layers under Pulse Heating

Abstract

The method of numerical simulation on two‐layer structures such as a‐SiSi and a‐SiSiO2 is used to study the influence of mechanical stresses on the start temperature of self‐sustaining crystallization of an amorphous film, on the waiting time for the start of crystallization (or melting) t0, and on the expected time of film crystallization tn which is compared to the duration of a heating pulse. In case of simulation of the transformation kinetics the energy of strain field of a lattice during the doping is estimated for the substitutional position of impurity atoms by the difference of their size from that of silicon atoms. Isotropy of the stress field, the local action of an impurity, the possibility of incorporation into a lattice and of excess over equilibrium solubility are included. Numerical calculations are made for the degree of deformation of 0.1 and variations of a free energy by 56 meV and of an activation energy of transformation by 1 eV typical of amorphous silicon obtained by ion implantation. It is shown that (t0 and tn decrease by 103 to 104 times for A → C and by 10 to 103 for A → L transformations, the melting being most likely as usual. The proposed way of taking into account the influence of mechanical stresses can be used in simulation of the crystallization process by the method of finite differences.

In situTEM observation of nanobonding formation between silicon MEMS tips

“…The sizes of the crystalline domains were from 3 to 30 nm. This indicated that the silicon nanobond was a mixture of amorphous silicon and nanocrystalline silicon and that the silicon nanocrystals grew in the amorphous silicon part and mechanical stress can induce the crystallization of amorphous silicon [13].…”

Effect of Ge-related mechanical strain on defect and impurity behaviour in ion-implanted silicon

“…The sources of the mechanical strain are the following: (i) radiation defects and amorphous regions [1][2][3]; (ii) temperature gradients during annealing [4,5]; (iii) difference between the covalent radii of dopant atoms in substitutional positions in the crystal lattice and substrate atoms (misfit strain) [6]. The sources of the mechanical strain are the following: (i) radiation defects and amorphous regions [1][2][3]; (ii) temperature gradients during annealing [4,5]; (iii) difference between the covalent radii of dopant atoms in substitutional positions in the crystal lattice and substrate atoms (misfit strain) [6].…”