Absence of electrical activity at high-angle grain boundaries in zone-melt-recrystallized silicon-on-insulator films

Zone-melt recrystallization (ZMR) of polycrystalline silicon-on-insulator films has been used to produce a variety of tilt grain boundaries for electrical characterization. Electron channeling patterns reveal the grains to have misorientations up to ∼25°and the parallel boundaries to be separated by distances of up to ∼1 mm. Current-voltage measurements indicate that the boundaries are electrically inactive, with no evidence of defect gap states even after long high-temperature anneals.