The formation of poly-Si films on flat glass substrates by flash lamp annealing

We have succeeded the formation of polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) films by flash lamp annealing (FLA) of 4-μm-thick intrinsic amorphous silicon (a-Si(i)) films deposited directly on flat glass substrates by tuning catalytic chemical vapor deposition conditions. The use of a-Si(i) films deposited without intentional substrate heating leads to the suppression of Si film peeling during FLA. The a-Si(i) films deposited at room temperature have low film density, low film stress, and high defect density, compared to a-Si(i) films deposited at higher temperatures. The prevention of Si film peeling may be due to the low film stress and/or the suppression of the emergence of lateral explosive crystallization by using a-Si(i) films with low film density.