The effect of temperature and doping on the segregation of in during solid-phase-epitaxial crystallization of Si

The segregation of In during solid-phase-epitaxial crystallization of amorphous Si layers is examined as a function of annealing temperature and the presence of p- and n-type dopants. The fraction of In segregated to the sample surface decreases with increasing temperature from 38% at 450°C to 18% at 600°C. This is shown to be consistent with changes in the crystallization velocity and In diffusivity in amorphous Si. The addition of p- and n-type dopants is shown to increase the crystallization velocity and further decrease the segregation of In. The reduced segregation is shown to be inconsistent with the dopant-induced velocity changes alone, and it is speculated that dopant-induced solubility changes are responsible for this effect.