Enhancement of lateral solid phase epitaxy over SiO₂ using a densified and thinned amorphous Si layer

Formation of a thin-film silicon-on-insulator structure by lateral solid phase epitaxy of amorphous Si is described. Thinning of the amorphous Si layer after deposition and densification in an ultrahigh vacuum, prior to solid phase epitaxy, successfully enhances the lateral growth length. In addition, the crystallinity of thin silicon-on-insulator layers formed by this technique is found to be better than that achieved by the conventional method.