Low temperature metal induced crystallization of amorphous silicon using a Ni solution

Amorphous silicon (a-Si) was crystallized by metal-induced crystallization (MIC) using a Ni standard absorption solution. The a-Si films spin-coated with a 5000 ppm Ni solution were crystallized at as low as 500 °C. Needlelike morphology, developed as a result of the migration of NiSi2 precipitates, appears in the MIC poly-Si. The growth of the needlelike crystallites proceeds to a direction parallel to 〈111〉. The a-Si can be fully crystallized at 500 °C for 20 h.