Electrical characteristics of thin-film transistors using field-aided lateral crystallization

A polycrystalline silicon thin-film transistor (TFT) technology, field-aided lateral crystallization (FALC), has been explored. Polycrystalline silicon thin film, as an active layer, was prepared by applying an electric field to amorphous silicon film during Ni metal-induced lateral crystallization (MILC). Compared with the conventional metal-induced lateral crystallization thin-film transistors (MILC TFTs), these field-aided lateral crystallization thin-film transistors (FALC TFTs) show a low off-state leakage current of 1.79 x 10(-11) A at V-g = -10 V and a high on/off current ratio of 8.82 x 10(5). Moreover, the threshold voltage is lower and field-effect mobility is higher than those of MILC TFTs. Therefore, the possibility of high-performance and low-temperature (< 500 degrees C) polycrystalline silicon TFTs was demonstrated by using FALC technology. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(99)00741-X].