Controlling the solid-phase nucleation of amorphous si by means of a substrate step structure and local phosphorus doping

We propose a solid-phase crystallization technique that controls the location of crystal grain formation on SiO₂substrates. This enables the formation of electronic devices in a single grain. To determine the condition of the technique, the nucleation characteristics of amorphous Si with P- and B-doping are investigated. Also, the characteristics with and without step structures on the substrate surface are reported and discussed. The various nucleation behaviors can be interpreted in terms of the critical size of the nucleus and of the rate of crystal growth.