Low-temperature (∼180°C) position-controlled lateral solid-phase crystallization of GeSn with laser-anneal seeding

To realize next-generation flexible thin-film devices, solid-phase crystallization (SPC) of amorphous germanium tin (GeSn) films on insulating substrates combined with seeds formed by laser annealing (LA) has been investigated. This technique enables the crystallization of GeSn at controlled positions at low temperature (∼180°C) due to the determination of the starting points of crystallization by LA seeding and Sn-induced SPC enhancement. The GeSn crystals grown by SPC from LA seeds showed abnormal lateral profiles of substitutional Sn concentration. These lateral profiles are caused by the annealing time after crystallization being a function of distance from the LA seeds. This observation of a post-annealing effect also indicates that GeSn with a substitutional Sn concentration of up to ∼10% possesses high thermal stability. These results will facilitate the fabrication of next-generation thin-film devices on flexible plastic substrates with low softening temperatures (∼250°C).