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Rapid crystallization of WS 2 films assisted by a thin nickel layer: An in situ energy‐dispersive X‐ray diffraction study
Author(s) -
Ellmer K.,
Seeger S.,
Mientus R.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
physica status solidi (a)
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.532
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1862-6319
pISSN - 1862-6300
DOI - 10.1002/pssa.200622016
Subject(s) - crystallization , nucleation , materials science , thin film , amorphous solid , texture (cosmology) , sputtering , layer (electronics) , sputter deposition , chemical engineering , nickel , tungsten , crystallography , analytical chemistry (journal) , nanotechnology , chemistry , metallurgy , organic chemistry , artificial intelligence , computer science , engineering , image (mathematics)
By rapid thermal crystallization of an amorphous WS 3+ x film, deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering at temperatures below 150 °C, layer‐type semiconducting tungsten disulfide films (WS 2 ) were grown. The rapid crystallization was monitored in real‐time by in situ energy‐dispersive X‐ray diffraction. The films crystallize very fast (>40 nm/s), provided that a thin nickel film acts as nucleation seeds. Experiments on different substrates and the onset of the crystallization only at a temperature between 600 and 700 °C points to the decisive role of seeds for the textured growth of WS 2 , most probably liquid NiS x drops. The rapidly crystallized WS 2 films exhibit a pronounced (001) texture with the van der Waals planes oriented parallel to the surface, leading to photoactive layers with a high hole mobility of about 80 cm 2 /Vs making such films suitable as absorbers for thin film solar cells. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)