Solid-Phase Epitaxy with X-Ray Irradiation to Grow Dislocation-Free Silicon Films at Low Temperatures

Abstract
Amorphous silicon films with a thickness of 300 nm were deposited on silicon wafers. They were irradiated on a water-cooled specimen holder by X-rays using synchrotron radiation. The irradiation effect was investigated by Raman spectroscopy and electron microscopy. It was found that the irradiation at room temperature greatly enhanced homogeneous nucleation in post-annealing at 600°C. X-ray irradiation with a 54-pole wiggler heated the films up to about 500°C, and dislocation-free films were grown epitaxially within 10 min. This irradiation effect on crystal growth is explained by assuming that vacancy-interstitial pairs are formed with X-ray irradiation by Auger processes.