Advanced excimer-based crystallization systems for production solutions

Abstract: Line beam excimer laser annealing (ELA) is a well-known technique for thin Si-film crystallization and established in LTPS mass production. With introduction of sequential lateral solidification (SLS) some aspects such as crystalline quality, throughput and flexibility regarding the substrate size could be improved, but for OLED manufacturing still further process development is necessary. This paper discusses line beam ELA and SLS-techniques that might enable process engineers to make polycrystalline-silicon (poly-Si) films with a high degree of uniformity and quality as required for system on glass (SOG) and active matrix organic light emitting displays (AMOLED). Equipment requirements are discussed and compared to previous standards. SEM-images of process examples are shown in order to demonstrate the viability. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]