Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 21, 2025

Comprehensive Characterization of Extended Defects in Semiconductor Materials by a Scanning Electron Microscope
Published on: May 28, 2016
Electron Radiation Effects of Grain-Boundary Evolution on Polycrystalline Silicon in MEMS
Lei Wang1, Haiyun Liu2, Xing Liu1
1Key Laboratory of MEMS of the Ministry of Education, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China.
Abstract:
A specimen observed with a transmission electron microscope (TEM) was processed by focused ion beam (FIB) from a surface-micromachined polycrystalline silicon MEMS structure. Electron irradiation and in situ observation were performed on a selected grain boundary in the specimen. The grain boundary was observed and located by using lattice-oriented selective TEM photography. An evolution progress of amorphization of small silicon grain within the grain boundary and recrystallization of amorphous silicon were observed. A silicon grain turned into several smaller bar grains within the grain boundary. The mechanism of grain-boundary evolution inducing a change of conductivity of polycrystalline silicon has been revealed. The conductivity of polycrystalline silicon influenced by electron irradiation could be attributed to the change of grain boundary.
More Related Videos
06:57Theoretical Calculation and Experimental Verification for Dislocation Reduction in Germanium Epitaxial Layers with Semicylindrical Voids on Silicon
Published on: July 17, 2020
09:41Using Laser Scanning Microscopy to Determine Electromigration in Molybdenum Disilicide
Published on: May 23, 2025
Related Concept Videos
Fermi Level Dynamics
Electron affinity in semiconductors refers to the energy gap between the minimum of its conduction band and the vacuum level and it is a critical parameter in determining how easily a semiconductor can accept additional electrons.
The work...
Electrostatic Boundary Conditions in Dielectrics
Consider a case where both the mediums across a boundary are two different dielectric materials. Recall that the electric field and electric displacement are proportional and related through the material's...
Energy Bands in Solids
Band Formation:
When atoms are brought close together, as in a solid, these discrete energy levels begin to split due to the overlap of electron orbitals from adjacent atoms. This split occurs because of the Pauli exclusion principle, which states...