Amorphous silicon deposition temperature optimization on advanced polysilicon thin-film formation using metal-induced lateral crystallization technology

Metal-induced lateral crystallization (MILC) has been recognized as a promising crystallization method for low-temperature thin-film transistor (TFT) applications, such as active matrix liquid crystal display (AMLCD) technology. Advanced low-temperature TFT performances, which can be obtained by improving the quality of MILC polysilicon layer, are highly important. Changing the quality of amorphous Si (a-Si) is one of the approaches to form a better MILC polysilicon thin-film. In this paper, effects of the a-Si deposition temperature on MILC growth and grain quality were studied. It was found that the grain quality was improved when the a-Si deposition temperature was lowered from 550°C to 500°C. The MILC growth rate, however, was reduced when an a-Si layer with a lower deposition temperature was used.