# US 2014/0150712 A1 · Crystallization processing for semiconductor applications

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- Number: US 2014/0150712 A1
- Document ID: US20140150712A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 14/175,110
- Filed: 2014-02-07
- Published: 2014-06-05
- Earliest claimed: 2009-11-30
- Assignees: Applied Materials, Inc.
- Applicants: Applied Materials, Inc.
- Inventors: Stephen MOFFATT
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140150712A1

## CPC

- H10P 14/3816: {Pulsed laser beam}
- C30B 13/24: using electromagnetic waves
- C30B 29/403: {AIII-nitrides}
- H10D 48/366: {Multistable devices; Devices having two or more distinct operating states}
- H10F 71/131: {Recrystallisation; Crystallization of amorphous or microcrystalline semiconductors}
- H10P 14/3411: {Silicon, silicon germanium or germanium}
- H10P 14/3436: {being chalcogenide semiconductor materials not being oxides, e.g. ternary compounds}
- H10P 34/42: with electromagnetic radiation, e.g. laser annealing (laser cutting H10P54/20)
- H10P 95/90: Thermal treatments, e.g. annealing or sintering
- H10H 20/01: Manufacture or treatment
- Y02E 10/50: Photovoltaic [PV] energy
- Y02E 10/547: Monocrystalline silicon PV cells
- Y02E 10/548: Amorphous silicon PV cells
- Y02P 70/50: Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- C30B: SINGLE-CRYSTAL GROWTH (by using ultra-high pressure, e.g. for the formation of diamonds, B01J3/06); UNIDIRECTIONAL SOLIDIFICATION OF EUTECTIC MATERIAL OR UNIDIRECTIONAL DEMIXING OF EUTECTOID MATERIAL; REFINING BY ZONE-MELTING OF MATERIAL (zone-refining of metals or alloys C22B); PRODUCTION OF A HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE (casting of metals, casting of other substances by the same processes or devices B22D; working of plastics B29; modifying the physical structure of metals or alloys C21D, C22F); SINGLE CRYSTALS OR HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE; AFTER-TREATMENT OF SINGLE CRYSTALS OR A HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE (for producing semiconductor devices or parts thereof H10); APPARATUS THEREFOR
- H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
- H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION
- H10H: INORGANIC LIGHT-EMITTING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES HAVING POTENTIAL BARRIERS
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS

## Abstract

A method and apparatus for forming a crystalline semiconductor layer on a substrate are provided. A semiconductor layer is formed by vapor deposition. A pulsed laser melt/recrystallization process is performed to convert the semiconductor layer to a crystalline layer. Laser, or other electromagnetic radiation, pulses are formed into a pulse train and uniformly distributed over a treatment zone, and successive neighboring treatment zones are exposed to the pulse train to progressively convert the deposited material to crystalline material.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of treating a substrate, comprising:
identifying a first treatment zone;
forming a molten area of the first treatment zone by exposing a surface of the first treatment zone to a first laser pulse, wherein the first laser pulse has a non-uniformity of less than about 5 percent;
recrystallizing the molten area of the first treatment zone while exposing the first treatment zone to a plurality of laser pulses;
identifying a second treatment zone; and
repeating the forming a molten area and the recrystallizing the molten area with the second treatment zone.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the forming a molten area of each treatment zone further comprises exposing the surface of each treatment zone to a second laser pulse, and a duration between the first laser pulse and the second laser pulse is less than a time necessary for a portion of the molten area to refreeze.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein the first laser pulse and the second laser pulse have the same duration and intensity.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein each pulse of the plurality of laser pulses has the same duration and intensity as the first laser pulse.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein each pulse of the plurality of laser pulses has a duration or an intensity that is different from the first laser pulse.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the second treatment zone and the first treatment zone share a boundary.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein the forming a molten area of each treatment zone further comprises exposing the surface of each treatment zone to a second laser pulse, and a duration between the first laser pulse and the second laser pulse is less than a time necessary for a portion of the molten area to refreeze.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein a duration between each pulse of the second plurality of laser pulses is more than a time to freeze the portion of the first treatment zone.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein each pulse of the plurality of laser pulses melts a portion of a recrystallized area.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the second treatment zone is adjacent to the first treatment zone.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein each pulse of the plurality of laser pulses melts a portion of a recrystallized area and the second treatment zone is adjacent to the first treatment zone.

### Claim 12

A method of treating a substrate, comprising:
identifying a first treatment zone;
forming a molten area of the first treatment zone by exposing a surface of the first treatment zone to a first group of one or more laser pulses and a second group of one or more laser pulses, wherein a power delivered by the second group of one or more laser pulses is higher than a power delivered by the first group of one or more laser pulses;
recrystallizing the molten area of the first treatment zone while exposing the first treatment zone to a third group of one or more laser pulses, wherein a power delivered by the third group of one or more laser pulses is less than a power delivered by the first group of one or more laser pulses and a power delivered by the second group of one or more laser pulses;
identifying a second treatment zone adjacent to the first treatment zone; and
repeating the forming a molten area and the recrystallizing the molten area with the second treatment zone.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein first one or more laser pulses are separated from the second one or more laser pulses by a rest duration, wherein the rest duration allows partial refreezing of the molten area before a subsequent pulse arrives.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein the first group of one or more pulses is one pulse, the second group of one or more pulses comprises multiple pulses and the third group of one or more pulses comprises multiple pulses.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the multiple pulses of the second group of one or more pulses overlap in time.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the multiple pulses of the third group of one or more pulses are separated by a rest duration.

### Claim 17

A method of treating a substrate, comprising:
identifying a first treatment zone;
forming a molten area of the first treatment zone by exposing a surface of the first treatment zone to a first plurality of laser pulses, wherein the pulses of the first plurality of laser pulses have an overlap factor between about 10 percent and about 40 percent;
recrystallizing the molten area of the first treatment zone while exposing the first treatment zone to a second plurality of laser pulses, wherein each pulse of the second plurality of laser pulses melts a portion of a recrystallized area;
identifying a second treatment zone adjacent to the first treatment zone; and
repeating the forming a molten area and the recrystallizing the molten area with the second treatment zone.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein each pulse of the first plurality of laser pulses has a duration between about 1 ns and about 50 ns.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18, wherein each pulse of the first plurality of laser pulses has a duration between about 20 ns and about 30 ns.

### Claim 20 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein each pulse of the first plurality of laser pulses delivers a power between about 107 W/cm2 and about 109 W/cm2.