Methods of laterally forming single crystalline thin film regions from seed layers

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising:

• forming a first semiconductor structure including a transistor on a single crystalline silicon substrate;
• forming a first insulation layer including an opening that exposes the single crystalline silicon substrate having the first semiconductor structure;
• forming a first seed layer including single crystalline silicon in the opening by a selective epitaxial growth process;
• continuously forming an amorphous silicon thin film on the first insulation layer and the first seed layer;
• changing a phase of a first region of the first amorphous silicon thin film, the first region of the first amorphous silicon thin film being overlapped with the first seed layer;
• transforming the first region of the first amorphous silicon thin film into a first single crystalline silicon thin film, by converting a crystalline structure of the first region of the first amorphous silicon thin film into the single crystalline silicon, using the single crystalline silicon in the first seed layer as a seed during a phase transition of the first region of the first amorphous silicon thin film;
• changing a phase of a second region of the first amorphous silicon thin film adjacent to the first single crystalline silicon thin film;
• and
• transforming the second region of the first amorphous silicon thin film into a second single crystalline silicon thin film, by converting a crystalline structure of the second region of the first amorphous silicon thin film into the single crystalline silicon, using the single crystalline silicon in the first single crystalline silicon thin film as a seed during a phase transition of the second region of the first amorphous silicon thin film, to form a first channel layer including the first and the second single crystalline silicon thin films.

A method of forming an integrated circuit comprising:

• successively laterally forming single crystalline thin film regions from an amorphous thin film using a lower single crystalline seed layer, wherein successively laterally forming single crystalline thin film regions comprises:
• changing a phase of a first region of the amorphous thin film directly on the lower single crystalline seed layer to provide a first single crystalline thin film region;
• changing a phase of a second region of the amorphous thin film in direct lateral contact with the first single crystalline thin film region to provide a second single crystalline thin film region;
• and
• changing a phase of a third region of the amorphous thin film in direct lateral contact with the second single crystalline thin film region to provide a third single crystalline thin film region.