Undoped and doped crystalline silicon films obtained by Nd-YAG laser

In this paper, we present results of the role of laser beam energy and shot density on the electro-optical and structural properties of undoped and doped recrystallized amorphous silicon thin films, generated by pulsed Nd-YAG laser (lambda = 532 nm). The data reveal that the structure and electrical characteristics of the recrystallized thin films are mainly dependent on the energy and shot density of the laser beam, while the morphology of the obtained films are mainly governed by the number of shots used. The data also show that the electrical conductivity of undoped and doped recrystallized films can be varied up to 6 orders of magnitude, by the proper choice of the recrystallization conditions. Doped samples with conductivities in the amorphous states in the range of 10(-5) Omega(-1) cm-l present, after recrystallization, conductivities of about 300 Omega(-1) cm(-1). The SEM micro-chemical analysis also shows that the obtained crystalline grains are constituted by pure silicon. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A.