Structural and Electronic Properties of Laser Crystallized Silicon Films

Fundamental properties of silicon films crystallized by a 30-ns-pulsed XeCI excimer laser were discussed. Although crystallization of 50-nm thick silicon films formed on quartz substrates occurred through laser hearing at the crystalline threshold energy density of 160 mJ/cm2, a higher laser energy density at 360 mJ/cm2 was necessary to crystallize silicon films completely. Analyses of free carrier optical absorption revealed that phosphorus-doped silicon films with a carrier density about 2×1020 cm−3 had a high carrier mobility of 20 cm2/Vs for irradiation at the crystallization threshold energy density, while Hall effect measurements gave a carrier mobility of electrical current traversing grain boundaries of 3 cm2/Vs. This suggested that the crystalline grains had good electrical properties. As the laser energy density increased to 360 mJ/cm2 and laser pulse number increased to 5, the carrier mobility obtained by the Hall effect measurements markedly increased to 28 cm2/Vs because of improvement of grain boundary properties, while the carrier mobility obtained by analysis of free carrier absorption increased to 40 cm2/Vs. A post annealing method at 190°C with high-pressure H2O vapor was developed to reduce the density of defect states. Increase of carrier mobility to 500 cm2/Vs was demonstrated in the polycrystalline silicon thin film transistors fabricated in laser crystallized silicon films.