Significant texture improvement in single‐crystalline‐like materials on low‐cost flexible metal foils through growth of silver thin films.

Low texture spreads of single‐crystalline‐like materials are critical for high performance of low‐cost flexible semiconductors and second‐generation high‐temperature superconductors based on metal foils. For texture improvement, a single‐crystalline‐like Ag film is epitaxially grown on an ion‐beam‐assisted deposition TiN substrate using magnetron sputtering. Ultra‐low texture spreads are found in the thin Ag film (∼330 nm), with an out‐of‐plane texture spread (Δω) of ∼1.03° and an in‐plane texture spread (Δϕ) of ∼1.34°. Compared with the texture spreads of the TiN substrate, Δω and Δϕ of the Ag film are reduced by ∼42 and ∼79%, respectively. Applying this Ag buffer, the texture spreads of a single‐crystalline‐like Ge film are reduced by ∼37% (Δω) and ∼36% (Δϕ). Factors contributing to the texture improvement by Ag are studied using single‐crystalline‐like Ag films with various thicknesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]