Strain measurement in the interface between crystalline Silicon and amorphous Silicon with MEIS

Low temperature Si epitaxy can provide flexibility for a device designer to tailor or optimize the device performance. It is better method for controlling the doping thickness, concentration and profile than ion implantation and diffusion. But there is a limited growth thickness in this method. At a given temperature, the film grows epitaxially for a certain limiting thickness(hepi) and becomes amorphous. The transition from crystalline Si to amorphous Si is abrupt. In this study, Si film was deposited by ion beam sputter deposition on Si (0001) above a limiting thickness and measure the strain in the interface between crystalline Si and amorphous Si. The strain was compressive and the maximum value was about 2%.