This article conducted a comparative analysis on thin film transistors (TFTs) fabricated by using the excimer laser annealed (ELA) polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) and those fabricated by using the Ni-sputtered ELA poly-Si. The grain size of the Ni-sputtered ELA poly-Si is 3 times greater than that of the ELA poly-Si. The Ni-sputtered ELA poly-Si TFTs showed a higher drain current, lower threshold voltage, smaller subthreshold swing, and higher electron mobility than the ELA poly-Si TFTs. This improvement is attributed mainly to the reduction of the defect density rendered by the large grain size. (C) 2010 The Electrochemical Society. [DOI: 10.1149/1.3467972] All rights reserved.