Lateral-solid phase epitaxial growth of single-crystal Al(110) films over striped SiO2 patterns

Aluminum films deposited by the conventional DC magnetron sputtering method over striped SiO2 patterns were single-crystallized by the lateral-solid phase epitaxial (L-SPE) growth method. Single-crystal Al(110) films deposited on striped Si(100) patterns were used as seed areas. The crystal structure of the films was investigated utilizing transmission electron microscopy (TEM), electron diffraction, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and optical microscopy. The grain density along L-SPE grown aluminum lines is influenced by the epitaxial growth direction. The result suggests the existence of anisotropy in the grain boundary energy of L-SPE grown aluminum films.