Material properties of pulsed-laser crystallized Si thin films grown on yttria-stabilized zirconia crystallization-induction layers by two-step irradiation method

Abstract

Amorphous Si thin films on yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) layers were crystallized widely in solid phase by the two-step method with a pulsed laser, moving the sample stage. The crystalline quality, impurity diffusion, and electrical properties of the crystallized Si films were investigated. It was found that the crystallinity of the Si thin films was improved and their surface was smooth without an incubation layer at the interface, indicating the uniform crystallinity of Si on YSZ. The diffusion of Zr and Y into the Si thin films was as small as or smaller than the order of 1017 atoms/cm3. We evaluated the electrical properties of carrier concentration and Hall mobility of the Si thin films with/without YSZ layers by using the resistivity and AC Hall effect measurements. The temperature and doping concentration dependences were measured for both undoped and P-doped films. It was found that both the undoped and P-doped Si/YSZ/glass films showed higher mobilities and carrier concentrations (and therefore higher conductivities), which indicate a smaller number of defects, than the Si/glass films. This suggested that the Si film crystallized on the YSZ layer is more suitable for application to electronic devices than the Si film on glass.