Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 February 2011
Measurements of the competition beween solid phase epitaxy, solid phase random nucleation, and melting in amorphous Si on a microsecond time scale are reported. We find that the behavior of amorphous Si under microsecond pulsed dye laser irradiation depends strongly on film thickness and temperature. In “thin” (≲1000 Å) films solid phase epitaxy is observed at temperatures up to and exceeding 1300°C with random nucleation dominating at T>1330° C; however, melting of amorphous Si does not occur. In contrast, in “thick” (2600 Å) amorphous films melting is observed at T˜1190°C. These results are discussed with respect to measurements obtained previously in the nanosecond time regime using Q-switched laser heating and in the 0.1–1 millisecond regime using “chopped beam” cw laser heating.