Metal-induced grown Si nanostructures for large-area-device applications

Hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si:H) films were formed by using a metal (Ni and Co) induced growth (MIG) method, in which nc-Si films epitaxially grow via the formation of a metal disilicide due to an extremely small lattice mismatch. This method avoids high-temperature processing and can be scaled up for large areas. We report on the present state of the fabrication and properties of MIG ne-Si. The effects of processing parameters and different metal prelayers on the Si nanostructures and electrical properties are discussed. The current-voltage-temperature measurement for an Al Schottky diode on MIG nc-Si reveals thermionic field emission to be the dominant carrier transport mechanism in the high-voltage forward current-voltage (I-V) region. The potential applications of these films include large-area solar cells or flat panel displays.