Raman microscopy of silicon for electronic displays and solar cells: Enhanced Raman scattering observed for microstructured surface

Abstract

This paper describes Raman spectroscopy of microstructured silicon (Si), which is used for electronic displays, solar cells, and other applications. Enhanced Raman scattering was found for excimer laser crystallized polycrystalline Si (ELC poly-Si) thin films, texture-structured Si, black Si, and porous Si. Raman scattering of those materials reflects mainly the conditions at projections on their surfaces. Atomic force microscopy and Raman spectroscopy for ELC poly-Si indicated that hillocks and ridges are located at grain boundaries where the defect density is relatively large and the thermal stress in the films is somewhat relaxed. The enhancement effect was shown to be useful for detecting a local vibration mode that could not be easily detected for mirror-finished Si. The variation in the enhancement ratio with the incident light wavelength was examined for comparison with the electromagnetic model. © 2012 American Institute of Physics.