Microcrystalline silicon prepared at magnetic field modified nucleation

We present a complex characterization of thin silicon films, the growth of which has been influenced by permanent magnet, placed under the substrate. The pattern of microcrystalline regions in otherwise amorphous film varied with the orientation of the magnetic field. Study by atomic force microscopy and by micro-Raman spectroscopy revealed that the microcrystalline regions resulted from increased nucleation density of crystalline grains at the locations where the magnetron effect could be expected. This phenomenon allowed us to study in detail the transition between amorphous and microcrystalline growth. Moreover, it can be used as a kind of ‘magnetic lithography’ for preparation of predefined microcrystalline patterns in otherwise amorphous silicon films.