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Stability of Amorphous Silicon Thin Film Transistors under Prolonged High Compressive Strain

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Jian-Zhang Chen ,
I-Chun Cheng ,
Sigurd Wagner ,
Warren Jackson ,
Craig Perlov  and
Carl Taussig
Jian-Zhang Chen
Affiliation:
jianchen@princeton.edu, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Photovoltaics Technology Center, Rm 219 Building 67, 195 Sec 4 Chung Hsing Rd., Chutung, 310, Taiwan
I-Chun Cheng
Affiliation:
iccheng@princeton.edu, Princeton University, Department of Electrical Engineering, Princeton, NJ, 08544, United States
Sigurd Wagner
Affiliation:
wagner@princeton.edu, Princeton University, Department of Electrical Engineering, Princeton, NJ, 08544, United States
Warren Jackson
Affiliation:
warren_Jackson@hp.com, Hewlett Packard Laboratories, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, United States
Craig Perlov
Affiliation:
craig_perlov@hp.com, Hewlett Packard Laboratories, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, United States
Carl Taussig
Affiliation:
carl_taussig@hp.com, Hewlett Packard Laboratories, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, United States
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Abstract

We studied the effect of prolonged mechanical strain on the electrical characteristics of thin-film transistors of hydrogenated amorphous silicon made at a process temperature of 150°C on 51-μm thick Kapton polyimide foil substrates. Effects are observed only at very high compressive strain of 1.8%. Tensile strain up to fracture at 0.3% to 0.5% does not show any effect, nor does compressive strain substantially less than 1.8%. The TFTs were stressed for times up to 23 days by bending around a tube with axis perpendicular to the channel length, and were evaluated in the flattened state. The changes observed are small. The threshold voltage is increased, the “on” current and the field effect mobility remain essentially constant, and the subthreshold slope, “off” current and gate leakage current drop somewhat. Overall, the observed changes are small. We conclude that mechanical strain caused by roll-to-roll processing and permanent shaping will have negligible effects on TFT performance.

Keywords

amorphousthin filmSi
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 989: Symposium A – Amorphous and Polycrystalline Thin-Film Silicon Science and Technology-2007 , 2007 , 0989-A09-04
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2007

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