Aligned-Crystalline Si Films on Glass

We report structural and electronic properties of Aligned-Crystalline Si (ACSi) Films on glass substrates. These films show enhanced majority carrier mobilities and minority carrier lifetimes with increasing crystallinity, i.e., with improving alignment and connectivity of the grains. A 0.4-mu m-thick ACSi film with a total grain mosaic spread of 4.2 degrees showed Hall mobility of 47 cm(2)/V.s for a p-type doping concentration of 1.9x10(18) cm(-3). A prototype n+/p/p+-type diode fabricated using a 4.2-mu m-thick ACSi film showed minority carrier lifetime of similar to 3.5 mu s and estimated diffusion length of similar to 30 mu m in the p layer with a doping concentration of 5x10(16) cm(-3).