Cross‐Sectional Transmission Electron Microscopy For Polycrystalline Silicon Films

Abstract
SUMMARY: The grain structure and the surface roughness of undoped polycrystalline silicon films were studied by TEM of cross‐sectional specimens. The grain diameter parallel to the surface could be directly determined as a function of the distance from the interface. An almost linear increase was found for all deposition temperatures between 923 K and 1123 K. For low deposition temperatures, the grains are columnar, while for high temperatures they are equiaxed. Cross‐sectional TEM‐specimens further allow a quantitative determination of the surface roughness. The roughness is not correlated with the grain diameter at the surface. A sharp increase of the roughness at 1123 K can be explained by the disappearance of a preferred orientation of the grains.

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