Electron Beam Crystallization of Amorphous Silicon Thin Films

S. Saager [1],
[1] Fraunhofer Institute for Organic Electronics, Electron Beam and Plasma Technology (FEP), Dresden, Germany
Published in 2016

A promising method for low cost production of efficient silicon thin film solar cells is the electron beam physical vapor deposition (EB-PVD) of high purity amorphous silicon (a-Si) layers with high deposition rates up to 300 nm/s [1] followed by crystallization. This study focuses on EB crystallization of deposited a-Si films in the solid phase regime and justifies observed experimental results by simulations. The simulations were carried out to clarify delamination phenomena. Therefore, a structural and thermal investigation of the pre-stressed substrate-layer-system was carried out using different speeds of the EB for a given line pattern and absorbed EB power-depth-relation.