A Novel Phase-Modulated Excimer-Laser Crystallization Method of Silicon Thin Films

Abstract

We propose a novel excimer-laser crystallization method that uses a phase-shift mask for large-grain growth of Si thin films on the glassy substrate. Due to interference effects of the laser light, the phase difference of light at the mask results in spatial modulation of light intensity at the sample surface, which triggers the lateral grain growth. Grains as large as 7 µm could be grown by a single-shot irradiation.