UV crystallization of poly-si using a CeO2 seed layer on plastic substrate for microelectronics applications

Abstract

We are reporting the crystallization of amorphous silicon (a-Si) film using XeCl excimer laser annealing. Polycarbonate (PC) plastic substrate was used to deposit poly-Si film at low temperatures. We deposited the a-Si films at a room temperature using an inductive coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition (ICPCVD). Then it was crystallized as a function of laser energy density using a XeCl excimer laser. As the laser energy density increases, crystallinity value decreases from 72.78 to 81.72%. The relationship between the film transmittance and crystallinity was analyzed as a function of process pressure. In another process, CeO2 seed layer was grown by sputtering method. a-Si film was deposited over this layer using ICPCVD and then it was crystallized using the XeCl excimer laser. It was observed that the crystallization could be accomplished at lower energy density with a seed layer than that without such layer. In this paper, we present the crystallization properties of a-Si on the plastic substrate.