We have developed a crystallization process, where the crystallization temperature is lowered to the conventional rapid thermal annealing (RTA) process and the metal contamination is reduced compared to the conventional vapor-induced crystallization (VIC) process. a-Si film on the seed layer, which was crystallized by the VIC process, was crystallized by the RTA process at 680 degrees C for 5 min. The poly-Si film appeared as a needlelike growth front with a relatively well-arranged Si(111) orientation. Moreover, the Ni concentration in the poly-Si film was reduced to 3x10(17) cm(-3). The reduction in metal contamination could be helpful to achieve a low leakage current in poly-Si thin film transistors. (C) 2010 The Electrochemical Society. [DOI: 10.1149/1.3432320] All rights reserved.