Method for formation of thin film transistors on plastic substrates

Patent · Tue Oct 06 04:00:00 EDT 1998

OSTI ID:871878

Carey, Paul G ^[1]; Smith, Patrick M ^[2]; Sigmon, Thomas W ^[3]; Aceves, Randy C ^[4]

---

1. Mountain View, CA
2. San Ramon, CA
3. Portola Valley, CA
4. Livermore, CA

A process for formation of thin film transistors (TFTs) on plastic substrates replaces standard thin film transistor fabrication techniques, and uses sufficiently lower processing temperatures so that inexpensive plastic substrates may be used in place of standard glass, quartz, and silicon wafer-based substrates. The process relies on techniques for depositing semiconductors, dielectrics, and metals at low temperatures; crystallizing and doping semiconductor layers in the TFT with a pulsed energy source; and creating top-gate self-aligned as well as back-gate TFT structures. The process enables the fabrication of amorphous and polycrystalline channel silicon TFTs at temperatures sufficiently low to prevent damage to plastic substrates. The process has use in large area low cost electronics, such as flat panel displays and portable electronics.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• Assignee: Regents of University of California (Oakland, CA)
• Patent Number(s): US 5817550
• Application Number: 08/611318
• OSTI ID: 871878
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/438/
amorphous
back-gate
channel
cost
cost electronic
creating
crystallizing
damage
depositing
dielectrics
displays
doping
doping semiconductor
electronics
enables
energy
energy source
fabrication
fabrication techniques
film
film transistor
film transistors
flat
flat panel
formation
glass
inexpensive
layers
metals
method
panel
panel display
panel displays
plastic
plastic substrate
plastic substrates
polycrystalline
portable
prevent
prevent damage
process
process enables
processing
processing temperature
processing temperatures
pulsed
pulsed energy
quartz
relies
replaces
self-aligned
semiconductor
semiconductor layer
semiconductor layers
semiconductors
silicon
silicon wafer
source
standard
structures
substrates
sufficiently
techniques
temperatures
temperatures sufficient
tft
tfts
top-gate
transistor
transistors
wafer-based