{111} facet growth laws and grain competition during silicon crystallization

V. Stamelou (1) , M. G. Tsoutsouva (2) , T. Riberi-Beridot (1) , G. Reinhart (1) , G. Regula (1) , J. Baruchel (3) , Nathalie Mangelinck-Noël (1)

1 IM2NP - Institut des Matériaux, de Microélectronique et des Nanosciences de Provence
2 SINTEF Digital - Stiftelsen for INdustriell og TEknisk Forskning Digital [Trondheim]
3 ESRF - European Synchrotron Radiation Facility

Directional solidification from mono-crystalline Si seeds having different orientations along the growth direction is studied. Due to the frequent twinning phenomenon, new grains soon nucleate during growth. The grain competition is then characterized in situ by imaging the dynamic evolution of the grain boundaries and of the corresponding grain boundary grooves that are formed at the solid-liquid interface. To perform this study, an experimental investigation based on Bridgman solidification technique coupled with in situ X-ray imaging is conducted in an original device: GaTSBI (Growth at high Temperature observed by X-ray Synchrotron Beam Imaging). Imaging characterisation techniques using X-ray synchrotron radiation at ESRF (European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Grenoble, France) are applied during the solidification to study the growth dynamics. Facetted/facetted grain boundary grooves only are studied due to their importance in the grain competition because of their implication in the twinning mechanism. The maximum undercooling inside the groove is calculated from the groove depth knowing the local temperature gradient. Additionally, thanks to dynamic X-ray images, the global solid-liquid interface growth rate and the normal growth rate of the {1 1 1} facets existing at the grooves and at the edges are measured. From these measurements, experimental growth laws that correlate the normal velocity of the {1 1 1} facets with the maximum undercooling of the groove are extracted and compared to existing theoretical models. Finally, the experimental laws found for the contribution to the undercooling of the {1 1 1} facets are in good agreement with the theoretical model implying nucleation and growth eased by the presence of dislocations. Moreover, it is shown that, for the same growth parameters, the undercooling at the level of the facets (always lower than 1 K) is higher at the edges so that there is a higher probability of twin nucleation at the edges which is in agreement with the grain structure development characterised in the present experiments as well as in the literature.

Mots clés: A1 Directional solidification; A1 Characterization; A1 Growth laws; A1 {111} facets; A2 Growth from melt; B2 Semiconducting silicon

Domaines: Micro et nanotechnologies/Microélectronique

V. Stamelou, M. G. Tsoutsouva, T. Riberi-Beridot, G. Reinhart, G. Regula, et al.. {111} facet growth laws and grain competition during silicon crystallization. Journal of Crystal Growth, 2017, 479, pp.1-8. ⟨10.1016/j.jcrysgro.2017.09.013⟩. ⟨hal-01694006⟩