Polycrystalline silicon films deposited on silicon dioxide were partially amorphized by implantation with 100 keV gallium ions to a dose of 6×1015 cm−2. These films were then subjected to various heat treatments at 580 and 900 °C using conventional furnace or rapid thermal heating techniques. Sudden drops in sheet resistance occurred at lower temperatures with little change upon further heating. However, the high-temperature annealed specimen shows only an increase in sheet resistance with time. An explanation of these changes is proposed in terms of a liquid phase melting mechanism taking place during the crystallization of the amorphized near-surface layer. Transmission electron microscopy and Rutherford backscattering observations support this explanation.
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