Analysis of Si-SiO2 Interfacial-Energy Hierarchy via Mixed-Phase Solidification of Si Films on SiO2

Abstract

ABSTRACTWe have experimentally investigated the anisotropy of Si-SiO2 interfacial energy by leveraging the mixed-phase solidification (MPS) method. By examining the microstructure evolution resulting from partial-melting-and-solidification cycles, and interpreting the changes in the surface-orientation distribution of the grains in terms of the thermodynamic model, we have identified the orientation-dependent hierarchical order of Si-SiO2 interfacial energies, σ{hkl}, as: σ{100} < σ{310} < σ{113} < σ{112} < σ{221} < σ{210}∼σ{331} < σ{111}, σ{110}.