Double-layered passivation film structure of Al2O3/SiNx for high mobility oxide thin film transistors

The optimization of the passivation process for oxide thin film transistors with high carrier mobility was investigated. Hydrogen incorporation into oxide channels during the deposition of SiNx could degrade device stability and uniformity, especially for high-mobility devices. A novel double-layered passivation film structure composed of Al2O3/SiNx was proposed, in which thin and dense Al2O3 film prepared by atomic layer deposition was introduced underneath the SiNx layer. In-Ga-Zn-O TFT passivated with the proposed double-layered films showed no significant negative shift in turn-on voltage, even after passivation. The field-effect mobility and subthreshold swing were typically measured as 27.7 cm(2) V-1 s(-1) and 0.11 V/dec, respectively. Hydrogen doping was effectively protected by the introduction of Al2O3 as thin as 15 nm. (C) 2013 American Vacuum Society. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1116/1.4789423]