Application of Laser Treatment in MOS-TFT Active Layer Prepared by Solution Method

Abstract

The active layer of metal oxide semiconductor thin film transistor (MOS-TFT) prepared by solution method, with the advantages of being a low cost and simple preparation process, usually needs heat treatment to improve its performance. Laser treatment has the advantages of high energy, fast speed, less damage to the substrate and controllable treatment area, which is more suitable for flexible and large-scale roll-to-roll preparation than thermal treatment. This paper mainly introduces the basic principle of active layer thin films prepared by laser treatment solution, including laser photochemical cracking of metastable bonds, laser thermal effect, photoactivation effect and laser sintering of nanoparticles. In addition, the application of laser treatment in the regulation of MOS-TFT performance is also described, including the effects of laser energy density, treatment atmosphere, laser wavelength and other factors on the performance of active layer thin films and MOS-TFT devices. Finally, the problems and future development trends of laser treatment technology in the application of metal oxide semiconductor thin films prepared by solution method and MOS-TFT are summarized.

Effects of Ambience on Thermal-Diffusion Type Ga-doping Process for ZnO Nanoparticles

“…The sample was shielded from light by placing it in a shield box, and two probes were placed in contact with the Al/Au electrodes to evaluate the conductivity of the sample within a range of −10 V to 10 V. We used 0.3 mm × 0.3 mm square electrodes spaced 0.3 mm apart, so that the sheet resistance (Rs) could be obtained from the slope of the I-V curves, calculated using Equation (1).…”

“…The use of semiconductor nanoparticles (NPs) and coating techniques for the manufacture of channel layers of thin-film transistors (TFTs) has drawn considerable interest, owing to certain advantages such as a high selectivity of substrate materials, surface morphology, low cost, and large process area [1][2][3]. ZnO has been extensively studied because of its exceptional properties, such as a high chemical and thermal stability (even when surrounded by hydrogen plasma, as compared with other oxides (such as SnO 2 and ITO)), wide band gap [4], large exciton binding energy of 60 meV at room temperature [5], non-toxicity, and low costs.…”

Editorial for the Special Issue on Recent Advances in Thin Film Electronic Devices

“…Recently, fabrication improvement in metal oxide TFTs has become a hot topic. Two papers related to this issue are included in this Special Issue [12,13]. N. Chen et al [12] tried to apply laser treatment in the solution-processing of active layers of metal oxide TFTs, covering laser photochemical cracking of metastable bonds, laser thermal effect, photoactivation effect, and laser sintering of nanoparticles.…”

“…Two papers related to this issue are included in this Special Issue [12,13]. N. Chen et al [12] tried to apply laser treatment in the solution-processing of active layers of metal oxide TFTs, covering laser photochemical cracking of metastable bonds, laser thermal effect, photoactivation effect, and laser sintering of nanoparticles. In addition, W. Zhang et al [13] investigated atmosphere effect in post-annealing treatments for a-IGZO TFTs with SiO x passivation layers, where different atmospheres (air, N 2 , O 2 , and vacuum) were studied at length.…”