We have investigated the crystallization of a-Si films by means of pulsed KrF excimer laser annealing as a function of irradiation energy density (E
L), using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman scattering spectroscopy and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). The grain size increased gradually at 0.2–0.4 J/cm2, while a drastic enlargement of grains occurred with lateral growth at 0.6–0.8 J/cm2. The stress in the films decreased with a decrease in the thickness of the fine grain (FG) layer until the FG layer finally disappeared. We proposed a model in which a drastic enlargement of grains at high E
L is controlled by the nucleation rate, the solidification velocity, and the nucleus density of initial growth. It was found that poly-Si films with large grains ( 0.5–0.9 µm), high purity of C ( ∼3×1016 cm-3) and low stress were obtained in the high E
L regime ( 0.6–0.8 J/cm2).
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