Method for producing silicon thin-film transistors with enhanced forward current drive
Abstract
A method is disclosed for fabricating amorphous silicon thin film transistors (TFTs) with a polycrystalline silicon surface channel region for enhanced forward current drive. The method is particularly adapted for producing top-gate silicon TFTs which have the advantages of both amorphous and polycrystalline silicon TFTs, but without problem of leakage current of polycrystalline silicon TFTs. This is accomplished by selectively crystallizing a selected region of the amorphous silicon, using a pulsed excimer laser, to create a thin polycrystalline silicon layer at the silicon/gate-insulator surface. The thus created polysilicon layer has an increased mobility compared to the amorphous silicon during forward device operation so that increased drive currents are achieved. In reverse operation the polysilicon layer is relatively thin compared to the amorphous silicon, so that the transistor exhibits the low leakage currents inherent to amorphous silicon. A device made by this method can be used, for example, as a pixel switch in an active-matrix liquid crystal display to improve display refresh rates. 1 fig.
- Inventors:
- Issue Date:
- Research Org.:
- Univ. of California (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 672599
- Patent Number(s):
- 5773309
- Application Number:
- PAN: 8-511,937
- Assignee:
- Univ. of California, Oakland, CA (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- Resource Type:
- Patent
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: 30 Jun 1998
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 42 ENGINEERING NOT INCLUDED IN OTHER CATEGORIES; FABRICATION; TRANSISTORS; SILICON; AMORPHOUS STATE; CARRIER MOBILITY; LEAKAGE CURRENT; DISPLAY DEVICES; POLYCRYSTALS; CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
Citation Formats
Weiner, K H. Method for producing silicon thin-film transistors with enhanced forward current drive. United States: N. p., 1998.
Web.
Weiner, K H. Method for producing silicon thin-film transistors with enhanced forward current drive. United States.
Weiner, K H. Tue .
"Method for producing silicon thin-film transistors with enhanced forward current drive". United States.
@article{osti_672599,
title = {Method for producing silicon thin-film transistors with enhanced forward current drive},
author = {Weiner, K H},
abstractNote = {A method is disclosed for fabricating amorphous silicon thin film transistors (TFTs) with a polycrystalline silicon surface channel region for enhanced forward current drive. The method is particularly adapted for producing top-gate silicon TFTs which have the advantages of both amorphous and polycrystalline silicon TFTs, but without problem of leakage current of polycrystalline silicon TFTs. This is accomplished by selectively crystallizing a selected region of the amorphous silicon, using a pulsed excimer laser, to create a thin polycrystalline silicon layer at the silicon/gate-insulator surface. The thus created polysilicon layer has an increased mobility compared to the amorphous silicon during forward device operation so that increased drive currents are achieved. In reverse operation the polysilicon layer is relatively thin compared to the amorphous silicon, so that the transistor exhibits the low leakage currents inherent to amorphous silicon. A device made by this method can be used, for example, as a pixel switch in an active-matrix liquid crystal display to improve display refresh rates. 1 fig.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {1998},
month = {6}
}