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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
Affiliation:
[email protected], Industrial Technology Research Institute, Photovoltaics Technology Center, Rm 219 Building 67, 195 Sec 4 Chung Hsing Rd., Chutung, 310, Taiwan
I-Chun Cheng
Affiliation:
[email protected], Princeton University, Department of Electrical Engineering, Princeton, NJ, 08544, United States
Sigurd Wagner
Affiliation:
[email protected], Princeton University, Department of Electrical Engineering, Princeton, NJ, 08544, United States
Warren Jackson
Affiliation:
[email protected], Hewlett Packard Laboratories, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, United States
Craig Perlov
Affiliation:
[email protected], Hewlett Packard Laboratories, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, United States
Carl Taussig
Affiliation:
[email protected], 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.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2007

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