SOLID-PHASE CRYSTALLIZATION AND DOPANT ACTIVATION OF AMORPHOUS-SILICON FILMS BY PULSED RAPID THERMAL ANNEALING

An improved pulsed rapid thermal annealing method has been used to cry stallize amorphous silicon films prepared by PECVD. The solid-phase cr ystallization and dopant activation process can be completed with time -temperature budgets such as 10 cycles of 60-s 550 degrees C thermal b ias/l-s 850 degrees C thermal pulse. A mean grain size more than 1000 Angstrom and a Hall mobility of 24.9 cm(2)/V s are obtained in the cry stallized films. The results indicate that this annealing method posse sses the potential for fabricating large-area and good-quality polycry stalline silicon films on low-cost glass substrate. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.