High-Hole-Mobility Single-Crystalline Ge Thin Films Formed on Insulating Substrates by SiGe Mixing-Triggered Directional Melting Growth

The development of high-carrier-mobility Ge-channel thin-film transistors (TFTs) is desired to realize advanced system-in-displays. To achieve the development of single-crystalline Ge films on insulating substrates, we have developed the directional melting growth process of amorphous Ge by using polycrystalline Si islands as growth seeds. Defect-free single-crystalline Ge stripes of 400 mm length are realized, and high-hole-mobilities of more than 1000 cm(2) V-1 s(-1) are demonstrated in the entire lateral growth region. This method opens up the possibility of fabricating high-speed Ge-channel TFTs for system-in-displays. (C) 2010 The Japan Society of Applied Physics