Kinetics and Mechanisms of Solid Phase Epitaxy and Competitive Processes in Silicon

Abstract

ABSTRACTRecent progress in studies of temperature dependent kinetic competition during solid phase crystallization of silicon is reviewed. Specific areas which are emphasized include: the enhancement of solid phase epitaxial growth rates by impurity-induced changes in electronic properties at the crystal/amorphous interface, the influence of impurity diffusion and precipitation in amorphous silicon on the kinetics of epitaxial growth, the effects of impurities on the kinetic competition between solid phase epitaxy and random crystallization, and the kinetics of solid phase crystallization at very high temperatures in silicon.