It is known that the grain structure in the polysilicon gate electrode can directly affect dopant activation and gate electrode depletion (GED). It is highly desirable to control the grain size and orientation during polysilicon processing for improved integrated circuit device yield and reliability. This article demonstrates the capability of growing polysilicon films with specific grain structures using a single wafer chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reactor with nitrogen carrier gas. The deposition temperature is varied from 650 to 690 degreesC. The effect of hydrogen addition during deposition is examined. Films deposited at various process conditions are characterized by transmission electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction techniques. The results show that the polysilicon grain size and orientation are sensitive to the hydrogen concentration. With a carefully selected deposition temperature and hydrogen concentration combination, the single wafer CVD technique is able to engineer the polysilicon grain size and orientations. A desired polysilicon grain structure can be tailored for specific device needs. The effect of the polysilicon grain structure on electrical parameters such as effective oxide thickness and GED will be discussed.