Method for producing silicon thin-film transistors with enhanced forward current drive
Abstract
A method 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.
- Inventors:
-
- San Jose, CA
- Issue Date:
- Research Org.:
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 871664
- Patent Number(s):
- 5773309
- Assignee:
- Regents of University of California (Oakland, CA)
- Patent Classifications (CPCs):
-
H - ELECTRICITY H01 - BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS H01L - SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
Y - NEW / CROSS SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES Y10 - TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC Y10S - TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- Resource Type:
- Patent
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- method; producing; silicon; thin-film; transistors; enhanced; forward; current; drive; fabricating; amorphous; film; tfts; polycrystalline; surface; channel; region; particularly; adapted; top-gate; advantages; leakage; accomplished; selectively; crystallizing; selected; pulsed; excimer; laser; create; layer; gate-insulator; created; polysilicon; increased; mobility; compared; device; operation; currents; achieved; reverse; relatively; transistor; exhibits; inherent; example; pixel; switch; active-matrix; liquid; crystal; display; improve; refresh; rates; leakage currents; film transistors; current drive; particularly adapted; silicon layer; amorphous silicon; polycrystalline silicon; crystalline silicon; liquid crystal; producing silicon; leakage current; excimer laser; silicon surface; drive current; crystal display; channel region; fabricating amorphous; insulator surface; thin-film transistors; forward current; film transistor; enhanced forward; selected region; active-matrix liquid; drive currents; /438/117/148/
Citation Formats
Weiner, Kurt H. Method for producing silicon thin-film transistors with enhanced forward current drive. United States: N. p., 1998.
Web.
Weiner, Kurt H. Method for producing silicon thin-film transistors with enhanced forward current drive. United States.
Weiner, Kurt H. Tue .
"Method for producing silicon thin-film transistors with enhanced forward current drive". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/871664.
@article{osti_871664,
title = {Method for producing silicon thin-film transistors with enhanced forward current drive},
author = {Weiner, Kurt H},
abstractNote = {A method 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.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Jun 30 00:00:00 EDT 1998},
month = {Tue Jun 30 00:00:00 EDT 1998}
}
Works referenced in this record:
Low Temperature Poly-Si TFTs Using Solid Phase Crystallization of Very Thin Films and an Electron Cyclotron Resonance Chemical Vapor Deposition Gate Insulator
journal, December 1991
- Little, Thomas W.; Takahara, Ken-ichi; Koike, Hideki
- Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 30, Issue Part 1, No. 12B