Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 February 2011
Silicon thin films were deposited by Electron Cyclotron Resonance PECVDusing silane as a source gas at room temperature. Deposited films werecrystallized either by conventional furnace annealing(FA) or by rapidthermal annealing (RTA) process. The films deposited on SiO2/Siwafer substrates were Amorphous or microcrystalline depending on themicrowave power. Deposited films were annealed at 600TC in a furnace. Asexpected, higher crystallinity was obtained in the case of the Amorphousfilms than the microcrystalline films after 7.5 hours annealing. It took 15hours at 600δC for the Amorphous films to reach their maximum crystallinityin case of FA, but it only took 1 second at 900 δC for RTA. In addition, itwas shown that RTA can be applied to the rapid crystallization of Amorphoussilicon thin films deposited on a fused quartz substrate utilizing a newfilm structure.