Characterization of excimer laser annealing of ion implanted Si

An evaluation of a XeCl excimer laser for the laser processing of Si is reported. The annealing quality of ion-implantation damage, as measured by the crystalline perfection of the regrown layer and by p-n junction characteristics, is similar to that obtained with ruby or Nd:YAG lasers. However, the wide energy window between annealing and surface damage, the flat smooth surface obtained after laser irradiation, the capability of providing deep surface melting, and other features, indicate that XeCl and perhaps other excimer lasers is nearly ideal for semiconductor processing.