Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 February 2011
A comparative study of solid phase epitaxy (SPE) of deposited and ion-implanted amorphous Si films was conducted with the use of a newly developed laser technique. The effects of interface contaminants and contaminants distributed within a deposited film on the rate of SPE and final crystal quality are reported. In the absence of impurities, deposited Si films crystallize at the same rate as ion-implanted layers and yield epitaxial films with comparable crystal quality. The presence of impurities in deposited films at the interface or distributed within the film can severely retard the SPE growth, causing several deleterious effects which ultimately degrade the film quality. These effects are more severe at high temperatures.