The dependence of the melting and crystal growth rates upon the crystal orientation at solid/liquid silicon interfaces was investigated by means of molecular dynamics simulations. It was found that there was no appreciable difference in the melting rates, but that the growth rates depended appreciably upon the crystal orientation at the solid/liquid interface. The growth rate at the (001) interface was more than twice that at the (111) interface. Molecular dynamics simulations were also made of the intensity-modulated excimer laser annealing of Si thin films. The results suggested that (001) surface-oriented Si without{111} stacking faults could be obtained by repeated melting and crystallization of amorphous Si on glass, due to the preferential growth in the <100> direction.

New Method to Obtain (001) Surface-Oriented Polycrystalline Silicon Films by Intensity-Modulated Excimer Laser Annealing: Molecular Dynamics Study. N.Matsubara, T.Ogata, T.Mitani, S.Munetoh, T.Motooka: Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, 2009, 48, 03B006