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Abstract

Disclosed is a process of forming a silicon thin film used as an active layer of a thin film transistor, which process is improved for enhancing a quality and a productivity of the silicon thin film. At a physical vapor deposition step, an amorphous silicon thin film is physically formed on a substrate in vacuum. Then, at a laser annealing step, directly after formation of the amorphous silicon thin film without the need of dehydrogenation, a laser light is irradiated to the amorphous silicon thin film, to convert the amorphous silicon thin film into a polycrystalline silicon thin film. After that, the polycrystalline silicon thin film thus converted is processed to form a thin film transistor. In the physical vapor deposition step, an amorphous silicon thin film may be formed by sputtering using a target made from a silicon crystal body or a silicon sintered body. In the sputtering, an amorphous silicon thin film can be formed by sputtering using a target previously mixed with an impurity in a desired concentration. By introducing an impurity in the amorphous silicon thin film at the film formation stage, a threshold characteristic of a thin film transistor can be previously controlled.

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First Claim