Modeling the splitting of thin silicon films from porosified crystalline silicon upon high temperature annealing in hydrogen

The role of hydrogen in promoting thin film splitting from crystalline silicon wafers with pores or trenches during high temperature annealing is investigated. During the treatment, trenches are transformed into spherical voids that may laterally channel and split off the substrate. It is shown that the conditions necessary for hydrogen to contribute to the establishment of high stress levels around transformed voids or of pressure inside the voids are usually not satisfied. Hence promoting void coalescence by substantial void volume growth resulting from stress enhanced vacancy diffusion and/or exfoliation of separated voids are unlikely to occur. Also, there are no experimental evidence that confirms the role of hydrogen in triggering premature void collapse by Griffith fracture at relatively lower stress levels in conjunction with reduced surface energy. Therefore, it is concluded that splitting occurs during high temperature annealing only when neighboring voids are close enough to systematically coalesce. In that case, hydrogen may react at high temperature with the internal silicon surface of the voids (walls) and contribute to breaking the thin straps separating the voids which promotes channelling and film splitting (© 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)