Phosphorous-implanted polycrystalline Si thin films were subjected to thermal annealing between 300 degrees C and 650 degrees C. The thermal activation was monitored electrically and structurally using Hall measurements, Raman spectroscopy, UV-visible spectrophotometry, and transmission electron microscopy. Charge transport information was correlated to the corresponding structural evolution in thermal activation. Phosphorous-implanted activation is divided into short-range ordering at low temperatures and long-range ordering at high temperatures, with the boundary between low and high temperatures set at 425 degrees C. Short-range ordering allows for significant increase in electronic concentration through substitution of P for Si. Higher temperatures are attributed to long-range ordering, thereby increasing electronic mobility. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.