Spatially-Resolved Crystallization of Amorphous Silicon Films on the Glass Substrate by Multi-beam Laser Interference

Laser interference induced crystallization of amorphous silicon (a-Si) on the glass substrate was performed using a Q-switched Nd:YAG (yttrium aluminum garnet) laser. White light interferometer (WLI) and atomic force microscope (AFM) were used to characterize the morphology of the structured films, while X-ray diffraction (XRD), combined with the AFM, was used to analyse the crystalline structure of the film. The experimental results show that the laser energy density above a certain threshold, in the range of 400-500 mJ/cm2,triggers the patterned crystallizations which take the form similar to the laser intensity distribution. For the patterned crystallization under multipulse exposure, a definite polycrystalline structure with individual phases was observed by XRD. The difference in feature form, e.g., deepened craters or heightened lines, is related to the laser energy density relative to the threshold of evaporation of the material.