Effects of annealing conditions on microstructures of thin film using crystalline silicon nanoparticles for printable...

Silicon thin film was formed by dropping silicon ink on a single-crystalline silicon substrate and further annealing. The effects of the annealing conditions on the microstructures of thin film were investigated in order to obtain a crystalline silicon thin film for application in the field of printable electronics. Silicon ink was prepared by dispersing silicon nanoparticles synthesized using inductive coupled plasma in a solvent, namely, propylene glycol. The silicon nanoparticles in the as-synthesized film were observed to melt at a temperature of less than 1000 degrees C, and a highly crystalline silicon thin film was obtained by annealing at 800 degrees C for 180 min.