Patent ID: 7902051

Claim:
A method of producing a PN junction comprising: providing a single crystal substrate; forming an insulating layer on the single crystal substrate; forming a via through the insulating layer to provide an exposed portion of the single crystal substrate; depositing an amorphous Si-containing material by chemical vapor deposition at a temperature of less than 500° C. on at least the exposed portion of the single crystal substrate; forming a dielectric cap layer encapsulating the amorphous Si-containing material within the insulating layer; converting at least a portion of the amorphous material into a single crystal material by increasing a temperature of the at least a portion of the amorphous Si-containing material by laser annealing or electron beam annealing the amorphous material through the dielectric cap layer to a temperature greater than a melting temperature of the amorphous Si-containing material and less than a melting temperature of the single crystal substrate; and forming a first dopant region abutting a second dopant region in the single crystal material after the converting of the amorphous material into the single crystal material.