Increased fracture depth range in controlled spalling of (100)-oriented germanium via electroplating
Abstract
Controlled spalling in (100)-oriented germanium using a nickel stressor layer shows promise for semiconductor device exfoliation and kerfless wafering. Demonstrated spall depths of 7-60 um using DC sputtering to deposit the stressor layer are appropriate for the latter application but spall depths < 5 um may be required to minimize waste for device applications. This work investigates the effect of tuning both electroplating current density and electrolyte chemistry on the residual stress in the nickel and on the achievable spall depth range for the Ni/Ge system as a lower-cost, higher-throughput alternative to sputtering. By tuning current density and electrolyte phosphorous concentration, it is shown that electroplating can successfully span the same range of spalled thicknesses as has previously been demonstrated by sputtering and can reach sufficiently high stresses to enter a regime of thickness (<7 um) appropriate to minimize substrate consumption for device applications.
- Authors:
-
- Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (United States)
- National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
- Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (United States); National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Solar Energy Technologies Office
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1424582
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1548764
- Report Number(s):
- NREL/JA-5J00-71046
Journal ID: ISSN 0040-6090
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC36-08GO28308
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Thin Solid Films
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 649; Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 0040-6090
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 14 SOLAR ENERGY; 36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; flexible electronics; thin film; substrate reuse; germanium; fracture; spalling; layer transfer; exfoliation
Citation Formats
Crouse, Dustin, Simon, John, Schulte, Kevin L., Young, David L., Ptak, Aaron J., and Packard, Corinne E. Increased fracture depth range in controlled spalling of (100)-oriented germanium via electroplating. United States: N. p., 2018.
Web. doi:10.1016/j.tsf.2018.01.031.
Crouse, Dustin, Simon, John, Schulte, Kevin L., Young, David L., Ptak, Aaron J., & Packard, Corinne E. Increased fracture depth range in controlled spalling of (100)-oriented germanium via electroplating. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsf.2018.01.031
Crouse, Dustin, Simon, John, Schulte, Kevin L., Young, David L., Ptak, Aaron J., and Packard, Corinne E. Wed .
"Increased fracture depth range in controlled spalling of (100)-oriented germanium via electroplating". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsf.2018.01.031. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1424582.
@article{osti_1424582,
title = {Increased fracture depth range in controlled spalling of (100)-oriented germanium via electroplating},
author = {Crouse, Dustin and Simon, John and Schulte, Kevin L. and Young, David L. and Ptak, Aaron J. and Packard, Corinne E.},
abstractNote = {Controlled spalling in (100)-oriented germanium using a nickel stressor layer shows promise for semiconductor device exfoliation and kerfless wafering. Demonstrated spall depths of 7-60 um using DC sputtering to deposit the stressor layer are appropriate for the latter application but spall depths < 5 um may be required to minimize waste for device applications. This work investigates the effect of tuning both electroplating current density and electrolyte chemistry on the residual stress in the nickel and on the achievable spall depth range for the Ni/Ge system as a lower-cost, higher-throughput alternative to sputtering. By tuning current density and electrolyte phosphorous concentration, it is shown that electroplating can successfully span the same range of spalled thicknesses as has previously been demonstrated by sputtering and can reach sufficiently high stresses to enter a regime of thickness (<7 um) appropriate to minimize substrate consumption for device applications.},
doi = {10.1016/j.tsf.2018.01.031},
journal = {Thin Solid Films},
number = C,
volume = 649,
place = {United States},
year = {2018},
month = {1}
}
Web of Science
Figures / Tables:

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Figures / Tables found in this record: