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Location Control of Crystal Grains in Excimer Laser Crystallization of Silicon Thin Films for Single-Grain TFTs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 March 2011

Hideya Kumomi
Affiliation:
Leading Edge Technology Development Headquaters, Canon Inc., 5-1 Morinosato-Wakamiya, Atsugi, Kanagawa 243--193, Japan. email: [email protected]
Hiroaki Wakiyama
Affiliation:
Center for Microelectronic Systems, Kyushu Institute of Technology, Kawazu, Iizuka 820-8502, Fukuoka, Japan
Gou Nakagawa
Affiliation:
Center for Microelectronic Systems, Kyushu Institute of Technology, Kawazu, Iizuka 820-8502, Fukuoka, Japan
Kenji Makihira
Affiliation:
Center for Microelectronic Systems, Kyushu Institute of Technology, Kawazu, Iizuka 820-8502, Fukuoka, Japan
Tanemasa Asano
Affiliation:
Center for Microelectronic Systems, Kyushu Institute of Technology, Kawazu, Iizuka 820-8502, Fukuoka, Japan
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Abstract

Location of crystal grains is controlled in excimer laser crystallization (ELC) of amorphous Si (a-Si) thin films, aiming at a high-performance single-grain thin film transistor (TFT) whose channel is inside a single crystal grain with no grain boundary in the channel. The location control is achieved by manipulating seed-crystal forming sites in the starting thin film. The sites are small portions of the a-Si thin film, typically 1 μm in diameter, only in which nanometer-sized crystallites are embedded in the amorphous matrix. During the ELC, at least one crystallite survives the melting duration and serves as a seed crystal for the resolidification of the surrounding molten silicon. As a result, large crystal grains are formed at the predetermined sites. The TFTs whose channels are fabricated at the location-controlled crystal grains exhibit higher performance than the random polycrystalline Si (poly-Si) TFTs.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2004

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References

REFERENCES

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