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Ravikumar VK, Chin JM, Lua W, Linarto N, Ranganathan G, Trisno J, Pey KL, Yang JKW. Super-resolution laser probing of integrated circuits using algorithmic methods. Nat Commun 2022; 13:5155. [PMID: 36055983 PMCID: PMC9440222 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32724-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Laser probing remains invaluable to the semiconductor industry for isolating and diagnosing defects in silicon transistors in integrated circuits during electrical stress tests. However, continuous device miniaturization below the 20 nm technology node has crammed multiple transistors within the focal spot of the laser beam, resulting in signal crosstalk, poor beam positioning accuracy and degraded fault isolation capabilities. The challenge is analogous to focusing attention to a single speaker in a crowd despite the multiple simultaneous conversations in the background. Through algorithms introduced in this patented work, consisting of cross-correlations, clustering, and our previously developed combinational logic analysis, we achieved beam positioning accuracy to better than 10 nm, extracted electrooptic waveforms from a node of a group of transistors (~18 times beyond the optical resolution limit), and applied this to isolate and identify an actual fault on a defective device. While problems associated with probing with shorter wavelength lasers continue to be addressed, our approach enhances and enables the continued probing of ICs using sub-bandgap photon energies without hardware modification to existing technology at semiconductor technology nodes below 10 nm.
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Affiliation(s)
- V K Ravikumar
- Singapore University of Technology and Design, 8 Somapah Road, Singapore, 487372, Singapore.,Advanced Micro Devices (Singapore) Pte Ltd, 508 Chai Chee Lane, Singapore, 469032, Singapore
| | - Jiann Min Chin
- Advanced Micro Devices (Singapore) Pte Ltd, 508 Chai Chee Lane, Singapore, 469032, Singapore
| | - Winson Lua
- Advanced Micro Devices (Singapore) Pte Ltd, 508 Chai Chee Lane, Singapore, 469032, Singapore
| | - Nathan Linarto
- Advanced Micro Devices (Singapore) Pte Ltd, 508 Chai Chee Lane, Singapore, 469032, Singapore
| | - Gopinath Ranganathan
- Advanced Micro Devices (Singapore) Pte Ltd, 508 Chai Chee Lane, Singapore, 469032, Singapore
| | - Jonathan Trisno
- Singapore University of Technology and Design, 8 Somapah Road, Singapore, 487372, Singapore.,Institute of High Performance Computing, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, 1 Fusionopolis Way, Singapore, 138632, Singapore
| | - K L Pey
- Singapore University of Technology and Design, 8 Somapah Road, Singapore, 487372, Singapore.
| | - Joel K W Yang
- Singapore University of Technology and Design, 8 Somapah Road, Singapore, 487372, Singapore. .,Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, 2 Fusionopolis Way, Singapore, 138634, Singapore.
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2
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Maruvada A, Shubhakar K, Raghavan N, Pey KL, O'Shea SJ. Dielectric breakdown of 2D muscovite mica. Sci Rep 2022; 12:14076. [PMID: 35982110 PMCID: PMC9388672 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-18320-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Localized electrical breakdown (BD) measurements are performed on 2D muscovite mica flakes of ~ 2 to 15 nm thickness using Conduction Atomic Force Microscopy (CAFM). To obtain robust BD data by CAFM, the probed locations are spaced sufficiently far apart (> 1 µm) to avoid mutual interference and the maximum current is set to a low value (< 1 nA) to ensure severe damage does not occur to the sample. The analyses reveals that 2D muscovite mica has high electrical breakdown strength (12 MV/cm or more) and low leakage current, comparable to 2D hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) of similar thickness. However, a significant difference compared to h-BN is the very low current necessary to avoid catastrophic damage during the BD event, even for very thin (2-3 nm) flakes. Further, for mica the BD transient always appear to be very abrupt, and no progressive BD process was definitively observed. These marked differences between mica and h-BN are attributed to the poor thermal conductivity of mica.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anirudh Maruvada
- Engineering Product Development, Singapore University of Technology and Design, 8 Somapah Road, Singapore, 487372, Singapore
| | - Kalya Shubhakar
- Engineering Product Development, Singapore University of Technology and Design, 8 Somapah Road, Singapore, 487372, Singapore
| | - Nagarajan Raghavan
- Engineering Product Development, Singapore University of Technology and Design, 8 Somapah Road, Singapore, 487372, Singapore
| | - Kin Leong Pey
- Engineering Product Development, Singapore University of Technology and Design, 8 Somapah Road, Singapore, 487372, Singapore
| | - Sean J O'Shea
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, Agency for Science Technology and Research, 2 Fusionopolis Way, Singapore, 138634, Singapore.
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Lanza M, Waser R, Ielmini D, Yang JJ, Goux L, Suñe J, Kenyon AJ, Mehonic A, Spiga S, Rana V, Wiefels S, Menzel S, Valov I, Villena MA, Miranda E, Jing X, Campabadal F, Gonzalez MB, Aguirre F, Palumbo F, Zhu K, Roldan JB, Puglisi FM, Larcher L, Hou TH, Prodromakis T, Yang Y, Huang P, Wan T, Chai Y, Pey KL, Raghavan N, Dueñas S, Wang T, Xia Q, Pazos S. Standards for the Characterization of Endurance in Resistive Switching Devices. ACS Nano 2021; 15:17214-17231. [PMID: 34730935 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.1c06980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Resistive switching (RS) devices are emerging electronic components that could have applications in multiple types of integrated circuits, including electronic memories, true random number generators, radiofrequency switches, neuromorphic vision sensors, and artificial neural networks. The main factor hindering the massive employment of RS devices in commercial circuits is related to variability and reliability issues, which are usually evaluated through switching endurance tests. However, we note that most studies that claimed high endurances >106 cycles were based on resistance versus cycle plots that contain very few data points (in many cases even <20), and which are collected in only one device. We recommend not to use such a characterization method because it is highly inaccurate and unreliable (i.e., it cannot reliably demonstrate that the device effectively switches in every cycle and it ignores cycle-to-cycle and device-to-device variability). This has created a blurry vision of the real performance of RS devices and in many cases has exaggerated their potential. This article proposes and describes a method for the correct characterization of switching endurance in RS devices; this method aims to construct endurance plots showing one data point per cycle and resistive state and combine data from multiple devices. Adopting this recommended method should result in more reliable literature in the field of RS technologies, which should accelerate their integration in commercial products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario Lanza
- Physical Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Rainer Waser
- Peter-Grünberg-Institut (PGI-7), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich, Germany
- Peter-Grünberg-Institut (PGI-10), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich, Germany
- Institut für Werkstoffe der Elektrotechnik 2 (IWE2), RWTH Aachen University, Aachen 52074, Germany
| | - Daniele Ielmini
- Dipartimento di Elettronica, Informazione e Bioingegneria, Politecnico di Milano and IU.NET, Piazza L. da Vinci 32, Milano, 20133, Italy
| | - J Joshua Yang
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089, United States
| | | | - Jordi Suñe
- Departament d'Enginyeria Electrònica, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona 08193, Spain
| | - Anthony Joseph Kenyon
- Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University College London, Torrington Place, London WC1E 7JE, United Kingdom
| | - Adnan Mehonic
- Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University College London, Torrington Place, London WC1E 7JE, United Kingdom
| | - Sabina Spiga
- CNR-IMM, Unit of Agrate Brianza, Via C. Olivetti 2, Agrate Brianza (MB) 20864, Italy
| | - Vikas Rana
- Peter-Grünberg-Institut (PGI-10), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Stefan Wiefels
- Peter-Grünberg-Institut (PGI-7), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Stephan Menzel
- Peter-Grünberg-Institut (PGI-7), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Ilia Valov
- Peter-Grünberg-Institut (PGI-7), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Marco A Villena
- Applied Materials Inc., Via Ruini, Reggio Emilia 74L 42122, Italy
| | - Enrique Miranda
- Departament d'Enginyeria Electrònica, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona 08193, Spain
| | - Xu Jing
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Metallic Materials, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, China
| | - Francesca Campabadal
- Institut de Microelectrònica de Barcelona-Centre Nacional de Microelectrònica, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Bellaterra 08193, Spain
| | - Mireia B Gonzalez
- Institut de Microelectrònica de Barcelona-Centre Nacional de Microelectrònica, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Bellaterra 08193, Spain
| | - Fernando Aguirre
- Unidad de Investigación y Desarrollo de las Ingenierías-CONICET, Facultad Regional Buenos Aires, Universidad Tecnológica Nacional (UIDI-CONICET/FRBA-UTN), Buenos Aires, Medrano 951(C1179AAQ), Argentina
| | - Felix Palumbo
- Unidad de Investigación y Desarrollo de las Ingenierías-CONICET, Facultad Regional Buenos Aires, Universidad Tecnológica Nacional (UIDI-CONICET/FRBA-UTN), Buenos Aires, Medrano 951(C1179AAQ), Argentina
| | - Kaichen Zhu
- Physical Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Juan Bautista Roldan
- Departamento de Electrónica y Tecnología de Computadores, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Avd. Fuentenueva s/n, Granada 18071, Spain
| | - Francesco Maria Puglisi
- Dipartimento di Ingegneria "Enzo Ferrari", Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Via P. Vivarelli 10/1, Modena 41125, Italy
| | - Luca Larcher
- Applied Materials Inc., Via Ruini, Reggio Emilia 74L 42122, Italy
| | - Tuo-Hung Hou
- Department of Electronics Engineering and Institute of Electronics, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan
| | - Themis Prodromakis
- Centre for Electronics Frontiers, University of Southampton, Southampton SO171BJ, United Kingdom
| | - Yuchao Yang
- Key Laboratory of Microelectronic Devices and Circuits (MOE), Department of Micro/nanoelectronics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Peng Huang
- Key Laboratory of Microelectronic Devices and Circuits (MOE), Department of Micro/nanoelectronics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Tianqing Wan
- Department of Applied Physics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Yang Chai
- Department of Applied Physics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Kin Leong Pey
- Engineering Product Development, Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), 8 Somapah Road, 487372 Singapore
| | - Nagarajan Raghavan
- Engineering Product Development, Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), 8 Somapah Road, 487372 Singapore
| | - Salvador Dueñas
- Department of Electronics, University of Valladolid, Paseo de Belén 15, Valladolid E-47011, Spain
| | - Tao Wang
- Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, Soochow University 199 Ren-Ai Road, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Qiangfei Xia
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003-9292, United States
| | - Sebastian Pazos
- Physical Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
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Ranjan A, O'Shea SJ, Bosman M, Raghavan N, Pey KL. Localized Probing of Dielectric Breakdown in Multilayer Hexagonal Boron Nitride. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2020; 12:55000-55010. [PMID: 33258598 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c17107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) has emerged as a promising 2D/layered dielectric owing to its successful integration with graphene and other 2D materials, although a coherent picture of the overall dielectric breakdown mechanism in h-BN is yet to emerge. Here, we have carried out a systematic study using conduction atomic force microscopy to provide insights into the process of defect generation and dielectric degradation in the progressive breakdown (PBD) and hard breakdown (HBD) stages in 2-5 nm thick chemical vapor deposition (CVD)-grown multilayer h-BN films. The PBD and HBD regimes show different behaviors. Under electrical stress in the PBD stage, defects are generated progressively in the h-BN, leading to a gradual reduction of the effective barrier resistance and continuous soft breakdowns (SBDs) of the dielectric material. Random telegraph noise nano-spectroscopy shows that low frequency noise becomes dominant after an SBD event due to the creation of additional defects around the percolation path. We also observe a wide variation in the current-voltage (I-V) breakdown plots in the PBD stage, giving rise to non-Weibull statistical distribution of the breakdown voltage. We attribute this observation to the significant thickness inhomogeneity in the CVD films. At HBD, h-BN materials are always physically removed from the film, leading to the formation of pits at the breakdown location. Interestingly, pit formation is also occasionally observed in the PBD stage under very low current compliances, suggesting that breakdown may proceed by a mixture of defect generation and material removal in h-BN CVD films.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alok Ranjan
- Engineering Product Development, Singapore University of Technology and Design, 8 Somapah Road, Singapore, 487 372
| | - Sean J O'Shea
- Agency for Science Technology and Research, Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, 2 Fusionopolis Way, Singapore, 138 634
| | - Michel Bosman
- Agency for Science Technology and Research, Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, 2 Fusionopolis Way, Singapore, 138 634
- Department of Material Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117 575
| | - Nagarajan Raghavan
- Engineering Product Development, Singapore University of Technology and Design, 8 Somapah Road, Singapore, 487 372
| | - Kin Leong Pey
- Engineering Product Development, Singapore University of Technology and Design, 8 Somapah Road, Singapore, 487 372
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5
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Ranjan A, Pey KL, O'Shea SJ. The interplay between drift and electrical measurement in conduction atomic force microscopy. Rev Sci Instrum 2019; 90:073701. [PMID: 31370442 DOI: 10.1063/1.5095647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2019] [Accepted: 06/05/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
In Conduction Atomic Force Microscopy (CAFM), it is sometimes required to monitor electrical data at a single location over an extended period of time. However, thermal drift of the microscope will cause the tip to move with respect to the sample and thus limit the collection of data. We investigate a method to prolong the time a tip dwells at a location by choosing the AFM cantilever to have small spring constants in the lateral directions. The basis of the approach is that the tip can only move (or slip) once the lateral forces caused by drift overcome the friction force pinning the tip to the surface. We demonstrate the effect experimentally using platinum wire tips and diamond coated tips on SiO2 and HfO2 dielectric films. Simultaneous measurement of the current flow and lateral force signals show that the onset of tip slipping correlates with the beginning of a decrease in the measured current flow, and the onset of slip is prolonged for blunt tips or cantilevers having soft lateral spring constants. The approach not only provides a way to improve the CAFM method for time dependent measurements but also assists in interpreting CAFM data in the presence of drift.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Ranjan
- Engineering Product Development, Singapore University of Technology and Design, 8 Somapah Road, Singapore 487372
| | - K L Pey
- Engineering Product Development, Singapore University of Technology and Design, 8 Somapah Road, Singapore 487372
| | - S J O'Shea
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, Agency for Science Technology and Research, 2 Fusionopolis Way, Singapore 138634
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6
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Ranjan A, Raghavan N, O'Shea SJ, Mei S, Bosman M, Shubhakar K, Pey KL. Conductive Atomic Force Microscope Study of Bipolar and Threshold Resistive Switching in 2D Hexagonal Boron Nitride Films. Sci Rep 2018; 8:2854. [PMID: 29434292 PMCID: PMC5809508 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-21138-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2017] [Accepted: 01/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
This study investigates the resistive switching characteristics and underlying mechanism in 2D layered hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) dielectric films using conductive atomic force microscopy. A combination of bipolar and threshold resistive switching is observed consistently on multi-layer h-BN/Cu stacks in the low power regime with current compliance (Icomp) of less than 100 nA. Standard random telegraph noise signatures were observed in the low resistance state (LRS), similar to the trends in oxygen vacancy-based RRAM devices. While h-BN appears to be a good candidate in terms of switching performance and endurance, it performs poorly in terms of retention lifetime due to the self-recovery of LRS state (similar to recovery of soft breakdown in oxide-based dielectrics) that is consistently observed at all locations without requiring any change in the voltage polarity for Icomp ~1–100 nA.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Ranjan
- Engineering Product Development, Singapore University of Technology and Design, 8 Somapah Road, 487372, Singapore. .,Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, Agency for Science Technology and Research, 2 Fusionopolis Way, 138634, Singapore.
| | - N Raghavan
- Engineering Product Development, Singapore University of Technology and Design, 8 Somapah Road, 487372, Singapore
| | - S J O'Shea
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, Agency for Science Technology and Research, 2 Fusionopolis Way, 138634, Singapore
| | - S Mei
- Engineering Product Development, Singapore University of Technology and Design, 8 Somapah Road, 487372, Singapore.,Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, Agency for Science Technology and Research, 2 Fusionopolis Way, 138634, Singapore
| | - M Bosman
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, Agency for Science Technology and Research, 2 Fusionopolis Way, 138634, Singapore
| | - K Shubhakar
- Engineering Product Development, Singapore University of Technology and Design, 8 Somapah Road, 487372, Singapore
| | - K L Pey
- Engineering Product Development, Singapore University of Technology and Design, 8 Somapah Road, 487372, Singapore.
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Yang HY, Han ZJ, Yu SF, Pey KL, Ostrikov K, Karnik R. Carbon nanotube membranes with ultrahigh specific adsorption capacity for water desalination and purification. Nat Commun 2014; 4:2220. [PMID: 23941894 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms3220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 152] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2013] [Accepted: 07/01/2013] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Development of technologies for water desalination and purification is critical to meet the global challenges of insufficient water supply and inadequate sanitation, especially for point-of-use applications. Conventional desalination methods are energy and operationally intensive, whereas adsorption-based techniques are simple and easy to use for point-of-use water purification, yet their capacity to remove salts is limited. Here we report that plasma-modified ultralong carbon nanotubes exhibit ultrahigh specific adsorption capacity for salt (exceeding 400% by weight) that is two orders of magnitude higher than that found in the current state-of-the-art activated carbon-based water treatment systems. We exploit this adsorption capacity in ultralong carbon nanotube-based membranes that can remove salt, as well as organic and metal contaminants. These ultralong carbon nanotube-based membranes may lead to next-generation rechargeable, point-of-use potable water purification appliances with superior desalination, disinfection and filtration properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Ying Yang
- Pillar of Engineering Product Development, Singapore University of Technology and Design, 20 Dover Drive, Singapore 138682, Singapore.
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Wang XC, Zheng HY, Tan CW, Wang F, Yu HY, Pey KL. Femtosecond laser induced surface nanostructuring and simultaneous crystallization of amorphous thin silicon film. Opt Express 2010; 18:19379-19385. [PMID: 20940833 DOI: 10.1364/oe.18.019379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Ultrafast pulsed laser irradiation is demonstrated to be able to produce surface nano-structuring and simultaneous crystallization of amorphous silicon thin film in one step laser processing. After fs laser irradiation on 80 nm-thick a-Si deposited on Corning 1737 glass substrate, the color change from light yellow to dark brown was observed on the sample surface. AFM images show that the surface nano-spike pattern was produced on amorphous-Si:H film by fs laser irradiation. Furthermore, micro-Raman results indicate that the a-Si has been crystallized into nanocrystalline Si. Also, the absorptance of the fs laser treated Si thin film was found to increase in the spectrum range of below bandgap compared to original untreated a-Si. The developed process has a potential application in fabrication of high efficiency Si thin film solar cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- X C Wang
- Singapre Institute of Manufacturing Technology, 71 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 638075, Singapore.
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