Theoretical considerations regarding pulsed CO2 laser annealing of silicon

We present a calculation of the surface temperature and investigate the “thermal runaway” phenomenon during pulsed CO₂ laser (λ = 10.6 μm) annealing of silicon. In calculating the temperature variation of free carrier absorption in n-Si, we have taken into account acoustic deformation potential scattering, optical deformation potential scattering, and ionized impurity scattering. The deformation potentials are adjusted to fit the experimentally observed values at 300°K. Also, we discuss the contribution of free carrier absorption during annealing with a Nd:glass laser (λ = 1.06 μm).