Experimental and Computational Analysis of Laser Melting of Thin Silicon Films

Abstract

Recrystallization of thin semiconductor films can yield improved electrical and crystalline properties. The recrystallization is often effected by using a laser source to melt the semiconductor that has been deposited on an amorphous insulating substrate. This paper describes detailed experimental observations of the associated phase-change process. A computational conductive heat transfer model is presented. The numerical predictions are compared to the experimental results and good agreement is obtained.