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Nucleation Process During Excimer Laser Annealing of Amorphous Silicon Thin Films on Glass: A Molecular-dynamics Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Shinji Munetoh ,
Takanori Mitani ,
Takahide Kuranaga  and
Teruaki Motooka
Shinji Munetoh
Affiliation:
[email protected], Kyushu University, Materials Science and Engineering, 744 Motooka, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan, +81(0)92-802-2966, +81(0)92-802-2966
Takanori Mitani
Affiliation:
[email protected], Kyushu University, Materials Science and Engineering, 744 Motooka, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan, +81(0)92-802-2966, +81(0)92-802-2966
Takahide Kuranaga
Affiliation:
[email protected], Kyushu University, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, 744 Motooka, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
Teruaki Motooka
Affiliation:
[email protected], Kyushu University, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, 744 Motooka, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
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Abstract

We have performed molecular-dynamics simulations of heating, melting and recrystallization processes in amorphous silicon (a-Si) thin films deposited on glass during excimer laser annealing. By partially heating the a-Si surface region with 2 nm depth and removing thermal energy from the bottom of the glass substrate, a steady-state temperature profile was obtained in the a-Si layer with the thickness of 15 nm and only the surface region was melted. It was found that nucleation predominantly occurred in the a-Si region as judged by the coordination numbers and diffusion constants of atoms in the region. The results suggest that nucleation occurs in unmelted residual a-Si region during the laser irradiation and then crystal growth proceeds toward liquid Si region under the near-complete melting condition.

Keywords

laser annealingnucleation & growthsimulation
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 958: Symposium L – Group IV Semiconductor Nanostructures—2006 , 2006 , 0958-L07-07
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2007

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References

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