Effect of electric field on metal induced lateral crystallization of amorphous silicon

The effects of electric field on the rate of metal induced lateral crystallization (MILC) of amorphous silicon were investigated. Nickel silicide, which is known to be a key species for the low temperature crystallization, was driven by an electric field. As a result, the crystallization velocity of EMILC was much faster than that of conventional MILC methods. Directional crystallization of amorphous silicon thin film was successfully achieved by applying a DC field during heat treatment. The crystallization was performed at different temperatures (500-625 °C) by employing a thin layer of nickel (30A°). The directionality of the resulting crystallization depended on the polarity of the electric field. The lateral crystallization velocity was three to four times faster than MILC when an electric field of 53.5 V/cm was applied.