A pulsed KrF excimer laser with nanosecond pulse duration is used for surface melting of thin polycrystalline silicon films. The velocity of the moving phase boundary during melting and solidification, the maximum melting depth, as well as the melting duration are experimentally determined by combined optical and electrical methods. A melting interface tracking model is used to calculate the melt front propagation and the transient temperature field in the semiconductor. A phase-change model, which allows the occurrence of melting and solidification at temperatures other than the equilibrium melting temperature, is employed in the numerical calculation. The effect of interfacial superheating/undercooling is discussed.
Issue Section:
Melting and Solidification
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