The Crystalline Quality of Epitaxial Si Layers Solution Grown on Polycrystalline Si Substrates

We investigate the crystalline and electrical quality of thin layers epitaxially grown on polycrystalline substrates from metallic solution by the method of electron beam induced current, transmission electron microscopy and etching experiments. We observe a reduced recombination strength of dislocations and small angle grain boundaries, i.e. an improved electrical quality of the epitaxial layer compared to the substrate. The improved quality can be attributed (i) to an altered structure of grain boundaries and dislocations and (ii) to a reduced defect density in the epitaxial layer.