Prospects for utilizing low temperature amorphous to crystalline phase transformation to define circuit elements; A new frontier for very large scale integrated technology

A new concept by which nanometer scale circuit elements can be defined through a relatively simple writing process employing a hydrogen radical beam to convert thin amorphous silicon layers to crystalline silicon is introduced. Later unwanted amorphous regions are removed through exposure to a lower energy hydrogen radical flux (not necessarily focused as the crystalline regions are etch resistant). Through the repeat process of amorphous deposition, regional crystallization, and amorphous etching it should be possible to construct both vertically and horizontally integrated circuit elements with dimensions of the order of a few nm. Dopant species can be co-deposited with the amorphous layers. The circuit writing sequence has other potential applications such as mask patterning.