Rapid Activation of Phosphorous-Implanted Polycrystalline Si Thin Films on Glass Substrates Using Flash-Lamp Annealing

• Published in: ECS journal of solid state science and technology Vol. 3; no. 11; pp. P391 - P395
• Main Authors: Choi, Jeong-Wan, Jin, Weon-Bum, Bae, Seung-Muk, You, Yil-Hwan, Kim, Hyoung-June, Kim, Byeong-Kook, Kwon, Yongwoo, Park, Seungho, Hwang, Jin-Ha
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: The Electrochemical Society 01.01.2014
• ISSN: 2162-8769; 2162-8777
• DOI: 10.1149/2.0191411jss

Intense visible light irradiation was applied to phosphorous-implanted polycrystalline Si thin films on glass substrates, which exhibited strong absorption features due to their amorphization by the application of a large implantation dose. Despite the short pulse duration of the visible light, the use of a high-powered and subsequently intensified Xe arc lamp allowed for significant electrical activation even at near-ambient temperatures and above, surpassing the efficacy of conventional thermal activation processes. Using a simple optical-thermal model, theoretical predictions indicate that the instantaneous temperatures of the phosphorous-implanted Si thin films reach approximately 680°C under the irradiation of a short pulse of light with a half maximum of 400 μsec, allowing for short- and long-range rearrangements of the implanted dopants and displaced Si atoms through diffusions enhanced through the high fraction of grain boundaries in the polycrystalline Si thin films.