ORIENTED CRYSTAL-GROWTH OF SI ON SIO2 PATTERNS BY PULSE RUBY-LASER ANNEALING

Poly-Si films 200–600 nm thick deposited on (100) Si substrates having SiO 2 stripe patterns have been transformed by Q-switched pulse ruby laser irradiation with energy densities between 1.0 and 2.0 J/cm 2 into single crystals on the SiO 2 patterns as well as on the Si. The regrowth of poly-Si on SiO 2 starts laterally from regrown poly-Si on Si just after or during the vertical growth of poly-Si on Si by liquid phase epitaxy. Such lateral growth of poly-Si on SiO 2 makes single crystal Si film formation possible on entire SiO 2 patterns up to 4 µm wide under appropriate laser power and poly-Si thickness conditions. However, straight stacking faults in the <311> direction remain in Si films grown on SiO 2 , although dislocations generated in the Si regrown on Si escape to the sample surface along the inclined plane of the SiO 2 window edges.