Title

Laser Thin Film Deposition On Plastic Substrates Using Silicon Nanoparticles For Flexible Electronics

Abstract

The melting temperature of silicon nanoparticles decreases significantly compared to the melting temperature of bulk silicon when the particle size is less than 5 nm. This concept is utilized for reducing the processing temperatures to deposit thin silicon films on plastic substrates. An aqueous dispersion of 5 nm silicon nanoparticles was used as precursor to produce polycrystalline silicon (c-Si) thin films on plastic substrates. A Nd:YAG (1064 nm wavelength) laser in continuous mode (CW) was used for deposition, annealing and recrystallization. Experiments were carried out in air as well as in argon atmosphere for obtaining a continuous recrystallized c-Si thin film on nickel substrates. Optimized parameters were utilized for obtaining c-Si films on plastic substrates. The substrate was not preheated and the entire film deposition process was conducted maintaining the substrate at room temperature while the film was heated with the laser beam. The process involved two steps: (i) a film forming step in which the aqueous medium was evaporated and the silicon particles were fused simultaneously to obtain a continuous film, and (ii) a recrystallization step in which the films were annealed and recrystallized by laser heating. The films were characterized by optical microscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman Spectroscopy. Doping of these films with nitrogen and boron was also carried out successfully which was confirmed by the current voltage (I-V) measurements. The oxygen content of the laser air-treated film decreased with increasing both the laser power and the irradiation time. Laser argon-treated films showed comparatively lower amounts of oxygen. Raman Spectroscopy showed a shift from amorphous to more crystalline phase with increasing the laser power and irradiation time. The increasing number of silicon crystallites observed using SEM confirmed this transformation.

Publication Date

1-1-2005

Publication Title

24th International Congress on Applications of Lasers and Electro-Optics, ICALEO 2005 - Congress Proceedings

Number of Pages

359-368

Document Type

Article; Proceedings Paper

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.2351/1.5060560

Socpus ID

33645140527 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/33645140527

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