Ge-enhanced MILC velocity in a-Ge/a-Si/SiO2 layered structure

Ni-mediated low-temperature solid-phase crystallization in a-Ge/a-Si/SiO2 layered structure has been investigated. Crystal nucleation was initiated in the a-Ge layer, which stimulated the bond rearrangement in a-Si. This enhanced lateral crystallization velocity of a-Si three times greater than that of a-Si/SiO2 single structure. As a result, poly-Si films with large areas (∼10 μm for 5 h and ∼30 μm for 15 h) were obtained after 550 °C annealing. This will be a powerful tool for realizing large poly-Si areas on insulating films for system-in-displays and three-dimensional ultra-large-scale integrated circuits.