Abstract
Low-temperature crystallization of Si, Ge and SiXGe1−X films by SR-soft x-ray irradiation using short undulator light is examined. By setting the photon energy to that of the core electron orbital, the crystallization is examined experimentally and discussed theoretically from a view point of Ge diffusion. The temperature during the crystallization of Si, Ge or Si0.5Ge0.5 by soft x-ray was 80 to 140 degree C lower than that by the conventional rapid thermal annealing. The elementary process of the soft x-ray irradiation is thought to be the atom-diffusion following the localized excitation of the core-electrons and the generation of Coulomb repulsion. For the low-temperature crystallization, the quasi-nuclei are formed via the elementary process.
