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Mechanically strained a-Si:H AMOLED driver circuits

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 March 2011

P. Servati
Affiliation:
Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, University of Waterloo Waterloo, Ontario, CanadaN2L 3G1
S. Tao
Affiliation:
Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, University of Waterloo Waterloo, Ontario, CanadaN2L 3G1
E. Horne
Affiliation:
Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, University of Waterloo Waterloo, Ontario, CanadaN2L 3G1
D. Striakhilev
Affiliation:
Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, University of Waterloo Waterloo, Ontario, CanadaN2L 3G1
K. Sakariya
Affiliation:
Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, University of Waterloo Waterloo, Ontario, CanadaN2L 3G1
A. Nathan
Affiliation:
Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, University of Waterloo Waterloo, Ontario, CanadaN2L 3G1
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Abstract

This paper examines the variations in performance of amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) thin-film transistor (TFT) pixel driver circuits for active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) displays, which are subject to compressive or tensile mechanical strain. The external strain is induced by bending of the TFT substrate, and is measured by the observed changes in resistance of in-situ strain gauges. Mechanical strain impacts the performance of the circuit in terms of its drive current, which may be attributed to mobility and Fermi energy shifts in the individual TFTs. The effect of strain-induced shifts in the TFTs as a function of strain orientation (longitudinal or transverse) with respect to direction of current flow is also examined. Our measurements show that the variation in the drain current of a longitudinally oriented TFT can be as much as ∼ 1.5% for strains as high as 10−3. Proper layout and circuit design can suppress the effect of strain-induced shifts, and should be taken into consideration when designing stable TFT driver circuits for mechanically flexible AMOLED displays.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2004

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