Activation of ion-implanted polycrystalline silicon thin films prepared on glass substrates

Phosphorous-implanted polycrystalline Si thin films were subjected to thermal annealing between 300 °C and 650 °C. The thermal activation was monitored electrically and structurally using Hall measurements, Raman spectroscopy, UV–visible spectrophotometry, and transmission electron microscopy. Charge transport information was correlated to the corresponding structural evolution in thermal activation. Phosphorous-implanted activation is divided into short-range ordering at low temperatures and long-range ordering at high temperatures, with the boundary between low and high temperatures set at 425 °C. Short-range ordering allows for significant increase in electronic concentration through substitution of P for Si. Higher temperatures are attributed to long-range ordering, thereby increasing electronic mobility.