PROGRESS IN ABATEMENT OF SUB-BOUNDARIES AND OTHER EXTENDED DEFECTS IN FILMS OF RECRYSTALLIZED Si-ON-INSULATOR.

Improvements are described in graphite strip heater technology which allow uniform recrystallization of SiO//2 encapsulated 0. 4 mu m Si films without seeding into typically 6 to 8 single crystal regions that together extend over 100% of the area of a 3″ dia wafer. The control of the melt front is such that this can be done in a routine and repeatable way for a series of wafers without any adjustments for the individual wafers in the series. TEM, optical microscopy, electron channeling, and RBS data are discussed which allow to characterize the defects as a function of depth in these films, and which allow to observe the onset of the sub-boundary suppression effect as the Si film thickness is increased.