Solution-based synthesis of crystalline silicon from liquid silane through laser and chemical annealing

Ganjigunte R S Iyer; Erik K Hobbie; Srinivasan Guruvenket; Justin M Hoey; Kenneth J Anderson; John Lovaasen; Cody Gette; Douglas L Schulz; Orven F Swenson; Arumugasamy Elangovan; P Boudjouk

doi:10.1021/am300334p

Solution-based synthesis of crystalline silicon from liquid silane through laser and chemical annealing

ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2012 May;4(5):2680-5. doi: 10.1021/am300334p. Epub 2012 May 8.

Authors

Ganjigunte R S Iyer¹, Erik K Hobbie, Srinivasan Guruvenket, Justin M Hoey, Kenneth J Anderson, John Lovaasen, Cody Gette, Douglas L Schulz, Orven F Swenson, Arumugasamy Elangovan, P Boudjouk

Affiliation

¹ Department of Physics and Department of Coatings and Polymeric Materials, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota 58102, USA.

PMID: 22545711
DOI: 10.1021/am300334p

Abstract

We report a solution process for the synthesis of crystalline silicon from the liquid silane precursor cyclohexasilane (Si(6)H(12)). Polysilane films were crystallized through thermal and laser annealing, with plasma hydrogenation at atmospheric pressure generating further structural changes in the films. The evolution from amorphous to microcrystalline is characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), Raman spectroscopy and impedance spectroscopy. A four-decade enhancement in the electrical conductivity is attributed to a disorder-order transition in a bonded Si network. Our results demonstrate a potentially attractive approach that employs a solution process coupled with ambient postprocessing to produce crystalline silicon thin films.

Publication types

Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.