Low-temperature nickel-induced crystallization of amorphous silicon thin films

Low-temperature nickel-induced crystallization of amorphous silicon thin films | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Low-temperature nickel-induced crystallization of amorphous silicon thin films M. Jlassi, I. Sta, M. Hajji, H Ezzouia This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7248765/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Polycrystalline silicon thin films were obtained through nickel-induced crystallization of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) layers deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) onto glass substrates coated with a nickel oxide (NiO) layer. The NiO catalyst, introduced via spray pyrolysis under both high and low temperature conditions, facilitated the transformation of the amorphous phase into a polycrystalline structure. Structural, morphological, optical, and electrical properties of the resulting silicon films were systematically characterized and compared to those of monocrystalline silicon. Raman spectroscopy was employed to assess the degree of crystallization, revealing that optimal annealing conditions yielded a crystallization efficiency approaching 90%. The influence of annealing time on the microstructural evolution and material properties was thoroughly investigated. These results provide insight into the controlled fabrication of high-quality polycrystalline silicon films via metal-induced crystallization. Polycrystalline silicon Nickel-induced crystallization PECVD Spray pyrolysis Annealing Raman spectroscopy Thin films Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files Supplementaryinformation.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7248765","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":496258488,"identity":"825d857f-b8a6-406e-a46a-f1a839e1bf3f","order_by":0,"name":"M. 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