In situ observation of nickel metal-induced lateral crystallization of amorphous silicon thin films

The lateral crystallization of amorphous silicon thin films induced by nickel was studied in detail, performing in situ annealing experiments with a transmission electron microscope. The nickel-induced crystallization starts with the fast growth of thin needle-like crystallites of [110] orientation, which advance along the 〈111〉 directions within the film plane. The fast growth rate and the small probability of the crystallite exhibiting the [110] orientation result in large crystalline grains. These grains are, however, composed of many small misorientated subgrains. It is thought that this is because the needle-like crystallite does not grow continuously but grows by successive jumps. Our model is that after the nickel disilicide precipitate grows a thin crystalline slice epitaxially at the leading edge of the needle-like crystallite, the nickel moves to the new leading edge and forms the new nickel disilicide precipitates to maintain the needle-like crystalline growth.