Crystallization of implanted amorphous silicon during millisecond annealing by infrared laser irradiation

We investigated the homogenous nucleation of crystalline grains in amorphous Si during transient temperature pulse of few milliseconds IR laser irradiation. The crystallized volume fraction is similar to 80%. Significant crystallization occurs in nonsteady regime because of the rapid temperature variation (10(6) degrees C/s). Our model combines the time evolution of the crystal grain population with the consumption of the amorphous volume due to the growth of grains. Thanks to the experimental approach based on a laser source to heat alpha-Si and the theoretical model we extended the description of the spontaneous crystallization up to 1323 K or 250 K above the temperature investigated by conventional annealing. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3459959]