Low-Temperature Formation of Poly-Si1-xGex ($x$: 0–1) on SiO2 by Au-Mediated Lateral Crystallization

The Au-mediated low-temperature (400°C) crystallization of amorphous-Si1-xGex (x: 0–1) on SiO2 has been investigated. A growth velocity exceeding 20 µm/h was obtained for samples in the entire range of Ge fractions (x: 0–1), although it decreased with increasing Ge fraction. These values are much higher than those obtained by conventional Ni-mediated crystallization. As a result, strain-free poly-Si1-xGex (x: 0–1) with large areas (>20 µm) were obtained at a low temperature (400°C). This newly developed method has a high potential for fabricating poly-Si1-xGex (x: 0–1) on a glass substrate.