Growth conditions and properties of evaporated semicrystalline silicon layers

Semicrystalline silicon layers 50–100 μm thick were vacuum deposited onto stainless steel and Pyrex glass substrates using an electron beam evaporation process. Because of the ultrahigh deposition rate (20–50 μm min -1) the silicon layers had a columnar structure on substrates that had been previously coated with aluminium. The layers on stainless steel contained both grain boundaries and twin planes whereas the layers on Pyrex glass showed only twin planes. This difference in structure can be explained by considering the crystallinity of the substrates and the difference in surface temperatures during growth due to the different thermal properties of stainless steel and Pyrex glass.