Measurements of potential barrier height of grain boundaries in polycrystalline silicon by Kelvin probe force microscopy

Authors: Tsurekawa, S.; Kido, K.; Watanabe, T.

Source: Philosophical Magazine Letters, Volume 85, Number 1, January 2005 , pp. 41-49(9)

Buy & download fulltext article:

Price: $56.94 plus tax (Refund Policy)

Abstract:

In recent years, the importance of polycrystalline silicon has been recognized in electronic device technology, although grain boundaries present in the material often exert a detrimental influence on the electrical properties because of the potential barriers associated with them. However, it is not true that all grain boundaries have similar properties, since they have their own character depending on the orientation relationship between two adjoining grains. We report here the first determination of the potential barrier height for well-characterized grain boundaries in polycrystalline silicon, using Kelvin probe force microscopy. The observed barrier height of the grain boundaries was found to vary in the range 10 to 100?meV depending on the grain boundary character. The most important finding is that the potential barrier height is approximately twice as high at random boundaries as at low-energy coincidence boundaries.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09500830500153859

Affiliations: 1: Department of Nanomechanics, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, 980-8579, Sendai, Japan

Publication date: 2005-01-01

More about this publication?