Formation of high-quality poly-Si films by flash lamp annealing

Associate Professor Keisuke Ohdaira (Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST))

SOLAR SEMINAR SERIES

DATE: 2012-02-20
TIME: 15:00:00 - 16:00:00
LOCATION: Ian Ross Seminar Room
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ABSTRACT:
Flash lamp annealing (FLA), millisecond-order discharge from Xe lamps, can form a few micrometer-thick polycrystalline Si (poly-Si) films by crystallizing precursor amorphous Si (a-Si) films prepared on low-cost substrates. The FLA of a-Si films can induce explosive crystallization (EC), self-catalytic lateral crystallization driven by the release of latent heat. This rapid lateral crystallization leads to the complete preservation of abrupt dopant profiles, which is favorable for device fabrication. This particular crystallization also results in the suppression of hydrogen desorption during FLA, which realizes the formation of poly-Si films with hydrogen atoms on the order of 10^21 /cm3. Hydrogen atoms in poly-Si films probably act to reduce defect density, which can be on the order of 10^16 /cm3 after conventional furnace annealing in inert gas atmosphere. These features are suitable for the realization of high-efficiency thin-film poly-Si solar cells.
BIO:
Keisuke Ohdaira is a member of the Australia Japan Emerging Research Leader Exchange Program