Structural properties of polycrystalline silicon films formed by pulsed rapid thermal processing

A novel pulsed rapid thermal processing (PRTP) method has been used for realizing solid-phase crystallization of amorphous silicon films prepared by plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition. The microstructure and surface morphology of the crystallized films were investigated using x-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy. The results indicate that PRTP is a suitable post-crystallization technique for fabricating large-area polycrystalline silicon films with good structural quality, such as large grain size, small lattice microstrain and smooth surface morphology on low-cost glass substrates.