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Highly nonequilibrium thermodynamic processes occur during the ultrarapid recrystallization characteristic of pulsed laser annealing. Values of interface segregation coefficients are observed to differ from equilibrium values by as much as three orders of magnitude and equilibrium solubility limits may be exceeded by similar magnitudes. In this letter, a model is developed which accounts quantitatively for these effects.

Solidification of undercooled liquid (l) Si formed by pulsed laser melting of amorphous (a) layers has been studied experimentally and theoretically. Bulk nucleation apparently occurs at a temperature higher than that of the l→a phase transition. Release of latent heat on nucleation is crucial in determining the depth of melting. It is emphasized that bulk nucleation implies that the l→a transition cannot be explained by purely thermodynamic considerations.