Role of electronic processes in epitaxial recrystallization of amorphous semiconductors

A phenomenological model of the solid-phase epitaxial growth process is proposed to account for the influence of substrate orientation and doping on growth kinetics. The model combines structural features of the amorphous-crystalline interface with electronic processes related to changes in the Fermi level. The basic premise is that the concentration of kinklike growth sites at the interface, and hence the growth velocity, can be influenced by doping in a manner analogous to the enhancement of dislocation velocities by doping.