Excimer Laser Annealing of Amorphous Silicon- Germanium Layers for Above IC Processing

Excimer laser annealing of hydrogenated amorphous silicon-germanium is investigated in order to analyze its potential as an annealing step in a novel above IC processing of MEMS or optoelectronic devices. Samples, which are fabricated with various recipes for plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, are irradiated with a KrF excimer laser at various energy densities, different initial sample temperatures, and various laser pulse configurations. The samples are then analyzed in terms of their electrical resistance and surface roughness. The measurements are used for a first estimation whether excimer laser annealing is a suitable annealing technique for our above IC processing. Keywords - electrical resistance; surface roughness; excimer laser annealing; amorphous silicon-germanium; above IC processing