Effect of substrate temperature on the crystallinity and stress of ion beam sputtered silicon on various substrates

The effect of substrate temperature on the crystallinity and stress of ion beam sputtered silicon on various substrates was studied. Silicon films were deposited on silicon, germanium and glass substrates at temperatures as low as 350-400 °C and their crystallization properties on the different substrate surfaces were analyzed using X-ray diffraction. The polycrystalline films were shown to be thermally stable, have randomly oriented crystals, and have good adhesion to the substrates. The study demonstrated the feasibility of depositing extremely hard polycrystalline silicon films on germanium and other substrates by means of physical vapor deposition at temperatures as low as 350 °C