Optical in situ monitoring of solid phase crystallization of amorphous silicon

Solid phase crystallization of amorphous silicon proceeds via random nucleation and growth of crystalline nuclei. We demonstrate a simple technique that allows to extract characteristic energy barriers governing the crystallization process. Low pressure chemical vapor deposition from disilane serves to deposit amorphous Si films at 450 degrees C, which are then crystallized at temperatures around 600 degrees C. Monitoring the time-dependent optical transmission of the crystallizing Si film allows for the calculation of the energetic barriers of the crystallization process without knowing the optical constants of the films under investigation.