Title :
Laser crystallisation of a-Si using copper vapour lasers: a different option for photovoltaic applications
Author_Institution :
Photovoltaics Special Res. Centre, New South Wales Univ., Sydney, NSW, Australia
fDate :
29 Sep-3 Oct 1997
Abstract :
The copper vapour laser (CVL) provides a pathway to relax some of the sample restrictions encountered by excimer lasers, and allow reapplication of the techniques developed for excimer lasers. Using a CVL focused spot, combined with low temperature substrate heating (⩽300°C) to control the solidification velocity, grain sizes up to 0.445 μm have been achieved, with an area weighted average up to 0.243 μm. These grain sizes, which are comparable to reports using excimer lasers on much thinner films, were achieved on 1 μm thick PECVD a-Si on quartz substrates making them potentially of interest for photovoltaic devices. Crystallinity was characterised using FESEM and Raman measurements
Keywords :
Raman spectroscopy; amorphous semiconductors; crystallisation; elemental semiconductors; field emission electron microscopy; grain size; laser materials processing; scanning electron microscopy; semiconductor growth; semiconductor thin films; silicon; solar cells; solidification; 0.243 mum; 0.445 mum; 1 mum; FESEM; Raman measurements; Si; a-Si; copper vapour lasers; focused laser spot; grain sizes; laser crystallisation; low temperature substrate heating; photovoltaic applications; quartz substrates; solidification velocity control; thin film solar cells; Copper; Crystallization; Electromagnetic wave absorption; Grain size; Photovoltaic systems; Solar power generation; Substrates; Temperature; Transistors; Velocity control;
Conference_Titel :
Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, 1997., Conference Record of the Twenty-Sixth IEEE
Conference_Location :
Anaheim, CA
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-3767-0
DOI :
10.1109/PVSC.1997.654198
