Process for the production of mutually electrically insulated monocrystalline silicon islands using laser recrystallization

Claim 1

A process for producing mutually electrically insulated monocrystalline silicon islands, comprising in succession: (a) producing continuous parallel strips of a first insulating material on a monocrystalline substrate, (b) depositing a non-monocrystalline silicon film on the insulated substrate, (c) covering said deposited silicon film with a continuous layer of an encapsulating material, (d) subjecting the obtained structure to a heat treatment, thereby vertically embedding said parallel strips in the substrate and forming above said embedded strips a monocrystalline silicon film through said encapsulating layer by a heating means, whereby said heating is effected by sweeping said heating means in a direction parallel to said parallel strips, and said heating forming a molten silicon zone moving across the entire surface of the film, whereby said continuous parallel strips become embedded to the lower edge of said molten zone, said molten zone consisting essentially of said non-monocrystalline silicon layer and a portion of said substrate layer, (e) eliminating said encapsulating material layers, and (f) etching said monocrystalline silicon layer obtained, thereby forming said islands.