Pseudo-Single-Nucleus Lateral Crystallization of Si Thin Films

We have developed a method of preselecting a lucky nucleus among many simultaneously born nuclei for the growth of position-controlled large single Si grains by excimer-laser-induced lateral crystallization. Using this method, arrays of large Si grain of almost 5 × 5 µm 2 size were successfully grown with a single shot. The result of electron backscattering diffraction pattern (EBSP) analysis indicated that most of the large Si grains had no random boundaries inside, which means that each grain grew from only a preselected lucky nucleus. It was confirmed that the margins to the vertical mispositioning of the sample surface from the focal point and also to the fluctuation of average irradiation light intensity were sufficiently large. Therefore, our method seems to be very attractive for industrial applications.