Characterization of laser and laser/thermal annealed semiconducting iron silicide thin films

beta-FeSi2 is an important semiconducting silicide which is being studied extensively. In this paper, we report our results of the effect of laser and laser-thermal annealing on the properties of beta-FeSi2. 5N purity Fe was deposited on Si substrate and was subsequently irradiated by CW and pulsed laser separately followed by thermal annealing to reduce the laser induced damage. The samples were then characterized by sheet resistance, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), optical reflectance and absorption studies. Lastly, beta-FeSi2/n-Si heterojunctions were fabricated and the effect of laser treatment on the junction ideality factor was investigated. All these characterizations indicated the formation of good quality beta-FeSi2, particularly after pulsed laser followed by thermal treatment.