Influence of bending on the structural properties of crystallized silicon films on flexible substrates

Background and Objectives: Silicon is the main semiconductor material used in many areas of human life. It is used in the creation of solar cells, various electronic devices, sensors etc. Also of particular interest is such an actively developing area as flexible electronics. It finds its application in the electronic devices. Thus, it becomes important to study ways to create polycrystalline films of semiconductor materials such as silicon on flexible substrates. The biggest problem with silicon crystallization on flexible substrates is that these substrates are low-melting, and traditional methods of silicon crystallization have an intense thermal effect on the crystallized material, which leads to destruction of the substrate. Materials and Methods: To create the samples, consecutive magnetron sputtering deposition of a silicon layer and then a tin layer onto a polyimide substrate was used. Silicon was crystallized using an infrared pulsed laser due to high absorption in tin layer. The structure of silicon during its bending deformation was studied using Raman spectroscopy. Results: As a result of the study, the sizes of silicon crystallites after crystallization, as well as the stresses in the films during bending, have been determined.