Metal-induced growth of poly-Si on foreign substrates for solarcell applications

摘要

A new technological method of producing 0.5-6 μm thickdevice-quality poly-Si films at temperatures below 600° C has beendeveloped. The technique relies on the epitaxial columnar growth of theSi crystals on the lattice-matching NiSi₂ formed as a resultof the Si deposition on a Ni prelayer, whose thickness is shown toinfluence the Si structure. The Si was sputtered onto the heatedsubstrate which was previously coated with 25 nm of Ni. Suchmetal-induced growth (MIG) of polysilicon is proven to be applicable toa variety of inexpensive, lightweight foreign substrates, with Nidisilicide providing a good back ohmic contact to the Si film. TheMIG-diode performance is promising for solar cell applications