Current-source a-Si:H thin-film transistor circuit for active-matrix organic light-emitting displays

In this letter, we describe a four thin-film-transistor (TFT) circuit based on hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) technology. This circuit can provide a constant output current level and can be automatically adjusted for TFT threshold voltage variations. The experimental results indicated that, for TFT threshold voltage shift as large as /spl sim/3 V, the output current variations can be less than 1 and 5% for high (/spl ges/0.5 /spl mu/A) and low (/spl les/0.1 /spl mu/A) current levels, respectively. This circuit can potentially be used for the active-matrix organic light-emitting displays (AM-OLEDs).     

High-performance 1.06-/spl mu/m selectively oxidized vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers with InGaAs-GaAsP strain-compensated quantum wells

We present the first room-temperature continuous-wave operation of high-performance 1.06-/spl mu/m selectively oxidized vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSEL's). The lasers contain strain-compensated InGaAs-GaAsP quantum wells (QW's) in the active region grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy. The threshold current is 190 /spl mu/A for a 2.5/spl times/2.5 /spl mu/m/sup 2/ device, and the threshold voltage is as low as 1.255 V for a 6/spl times/6 /spl mu/m/sup 2/ device. Lasing at a wavelength as long as 1.1 /spl mu/m was also achieved. We discuss the wavelength limit for lasers using the strain-compensated QW's on GaAs substrates.     

A driving scheme for active-matrix organic light-emitting diode displays based on feedback

A scheme of driving active matrix organic light emitting diode (AMOLED) displays with hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si) thin-film transistors (TFTs) is presented. By sending a feedback voltage from each pixel to a column driver during the programming cycle, the driving scheme can compensate for the instability of the TFTs, in particular, the shift in the threshold voltage. Measurement results show no change in the OLED current in the presence of a 1.3-V shift in the threshold voltage. Based on circuit analysis, a simple lead compensator and an accelerating pulse were employed to achieve fast pixel programming for a wide range of OLED currents. Simulation results show a programming time of less than 70 /spl mu/s for OLED currents as low as 50 nA.     

1.5 V four-quadrant CMOS current multiplier/divider

A low voltage CMOS four-quadrant current multiplier/divider circuit is presented. It is based on a compact V-I converter cell able to operate at very low supply voltages. Measurement results for an experimental prototype in a 0.8 /spl mu/m CMOS technology show good linearity for a /spl plusmn/15 /spl mu/A input current range and a 1.5 V supply voltage.     

Performance enhancement of offset gated polysilicon thin-film transistors

Simple offset gated n-channel polysilicon thin film transistors (TFTs) of channel length L=10 /spl mu/m were investigated in relation to the intrinsic offset length /spl Delta/L and the polysilicon quality. For /spl Delta/L/spl les/1 /spl mu/m, the device parameters such as threshold voltage, subthreshold slope and field effect mobility are improved, while the leakage current remains unchanged. In TFTs with /spl Delta/L>1 /spl mu/m, the leakage current decreases with increasing the offset length. When the polysilicon layer is of high quality (large grain size and low intra-grain defect density), the leakage current is completely suppressed without sacrificing the on-current in TFT's with offset length of 2 /spl mu/m.     

GaAs MOSFET using InAlP native oxide as gate dielectric

GaAs metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) using wet thermally oxidized InAlP as the gate insulator are reported for the first time. Leakage current measurements show that the 11-nm-thick native oxide grown from an In/sub 0.49/Al/sub 0.51/P layer lattice-matched to GaAs has good insulating properties, with a measured leakage current density of 1.39/spl times/10/sup -7/ mA//spl mu/m/sup 2/ at 1 V bias. GaAs MOSFETs with InAlP native gate oxide have been fabricated with gate lengths from 7 to 2 /spl mu/m. Devices with 2-/spl mu/m-long gates exhibit a peak extrinsic transconductance of 24.2 mS/mm, an intrinsic transconductance of 63.8 mS/mm, a threshold voltage of 0.15 V, and an off-state gate-drain breakdown voltage of 21.2 V. Numerical Poisson's equation solutions provide close agreement with the measured sheet resistance and threshold voltage.     

CMOS voltage reference based on gate work function differences in poly-Si controlled by conductivity type and impurity concentration

A new CMOS voltage reference circuit consisting of two pairs of transistors is presented. One pair exhibits a threshold voltage difference with a negative temperature coefficient (-0.49 mV//spl deg/C), while the other exhibits a positive temperature coefficient (+0.17 mV//spl deg/C). The circuit was robust to process variations and exhibited excellent temperature independence and stable output voltage. Aside from conductivity type and impurity concentrations of gate electrodes, transistors in the pairs were identical, meaning that the system was robust with respect to process fluctuations. Measurements of the voltage reference circuit without trimming adjustments revealed that it had excellent output voltage reproducibility of within /spl plusmn/2%, low temperature coefficient of less than 80 ppm//spl deg/C, and low current consumption of 0.6 /spl mu/A.     

High-voltage normally off GaN MOSFETs on sapphire substrates

Gallium nitride self-aligned MOSFETs were fabricated using low-pressure chemical vapor-deposited silicon dioxide as the gate dielectric and polysilicon as the gate material. Silicon was implanted into an unintentionally doped GaN layer using the polysilicon gate to define the source and drain regions, with implant activation at 1100/spl deg/C for 5 min in nitrogen. The GaN MOSFETs have a low gate leakage current of less than 50 pA for circular devices with W/L=800/128 /spl mu/m. Devices are normally off with a threshold voltage of +2.7 V and a field-effect mobility of 45 cm/sup 2//Vs at room temperature. The minimum on-resistance measured is 1.9 m/spl Omega//spl middot/cm/sup 2/ with a gate voltage of 34 V (W/L=800/2 /spl mu/m). High-voltage lateral devices had a breakdown voltage of 700 V with gate-drain spacing of 9 /spl mu/m (80 V//spl mu/m), showing the feasibility of self-aligned GaN MOSFETs for high-voltage integrated circuits.     

Electrically-pumped vertical-cavity lasers with Al/sub x/O/sub y/-GaAs reflectors

We have fabricated the first electrically-pumped vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) which use oxide-based distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) on both sides of the gain region. They require a third the epitaxial growth time of VCSELs with semiconductor DBRs. We obtain threshold currents as low as 160 /spl mu/A in VCSELs with an active area of 8 /spl mu/m/spl times/8 /spl mu/m using a two quantum well InGaAs-GaAs active region. By etching away mirror pairs from the top reflector, quantum efficiencies as high as 61% are attained, while still maintaining a low threshold current of 290 /spl mu/A.     

Narrow distribution of threshold Voltage in 4-Mbit MONOS memory-cell array with F-N channel write and direct/F-N tunneling erase operation as a single transistor structure

This paper describes the narrow and nonspreading distribution of threshold voltage in metal-oxide-nitride-oxide semiconductor (MONOS) memory cell array with Fowler-Nordheim (F-N) channel write operation and direct/F-N tunneling erase operation as a single transistor structure. We fabricated a 4-Mbit MONOS memory test chip using 0.25-/spl mu/m technology. The gate length of the memory cell was shrunk to 0.18 /spl mu/m. The distribution of threshold voltage for many operations were evaluated. The range of threshold voltage distribution is small, within 0.5 V in 12-14 V for programming and -8.5 to -9 V for erasing. It was also narrow for program/erase cycles up to 10/sup 4/ and after exposure to temperatures of 300/spl deg/C for 17 h and 150/spl deg/C for 304 h. These characteristics of narrow Vth distribution represent advantages of the MONOS memory device both for nonverify operation in program/erase mode and for low supply voltage operation in read mode. Another advantage is that no anomalous leak cell or tail bit is evident in the data retention result, demonstrating high reliability. The MONOS memory device is a promising candidate for use in cheaper and more scalable gate length fabrication processes compared with floating gate for highly reliable embedded applications.     

A 4-Mbit CMOS EPROM

A high-density (512K-word/spl times/8-b) erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM) has been designed and fabricated by using 0.8-/spl mu/m n-well CMOS technology. A novel chip layout and a sense-amplifier circuit produce a 120-ns access time and a 4-mA operational supply current. The interpoly dielectric, composed of a triple-layer structure, realizes a 10-/spl mu/s/byte fast programming time, in spite of scaling the programming voltage V/SUB PP/ from 12.5 V for a 1-Mb EPROM to 10.5 V for this 4-Mb EPROM. To meet the increasing demand for a one-time programmable (OTP) ROM, a circuit is implemented to monitor the access time after the assembly. A novel redundancy scheme is incorporated to reduce additional tests after the laser fuse programming. Cell size and chip size are 3.1/spl times/2.9 /spl mu/m/SUP 2/ and 5.86/spl times/14.92 mm/SUP 2/, respectively.     

A 65 mW 128K EB-ROM

A low power read-only memory (128K EB-ROM) has been developed using direct electron-beam data writing and 2 /spl mu/m VLSI fabrication technology. Programming of information in the ROM is accomplished by selective use of a field oxide in place of a thin gate oxide. The memory cell array is divided into eight current discharge (CD) units. Only one of the eight CD units, which contains a selected cell, is activated by the 3-bit extra decoder. The large capacitance enlarged by the Miller effect is markedly reduced. Moreover, the total capacitance to be precharged is also reduced. High performance output buffer circuitry is adopted, which has a high logic threshold voltage. As a result, the fabricated 128K EB-ROM is capable of 65 mW power dissipation under 400 ns cycle time and 5 V DC supply voltage conditions and 200 ns access time. Memory cell and chip dimensions are 8 /spl mu/m/spl times/7.75/spl mu/m and 3.75 mm/spl times/5.5 mm, respectively.     

A technique to improve the drive current of high-voltage I/O transistors in digital CMOS technologies

By combining a 0.12-/spl mu/m-long 1.2-V thin-oxide transistor with a 0.22-/spl mu/m-long 3.3-V thick-oxide transistor in a 0.13-/spl mu/m CMOS process, a composite MOS transistor structure with a drawn gate length of 0.34 /spl mu/m is realized. Measurements show that at V/sub GS/=1.2 V and V/sub DS/=3.3 V, the composite transistor has more than two times the drain current of the minimum channel length (0.34 /spl mu/m) 3.3-V thick-oxide transistor, while having the same breakdown voltage (V/sub BK/) as the thick-oxide transistor. Exploiting these, it should be possible to implement 3.3-V I/O transistors with better combination of drive current, threshold voltage (V/sub T/) and breakdown voltage in conventional CMOS technologies without adding any process modifications.     

2.2 GHz all-n-p-n second-generation controlled conveyor in pseudoclass AB using 0.8-/spl mu/m BiCMOS technology

A new second-generation controlled current conveyor (CCCII), implemented using a 0.8-/spl mu/m Si-BiCMOS process, and operating in pseudoclass AB, is presented. It uses only n-p-n transistors to convey the signal, and CMOS transistors to bias the circuit. The expressions for the intrinsic resistance R/sub X/ and class of operation are derived. The performance of the circuit in voltage and current follower modes is described. Its electrical characteristics (voltage and current transfers, parasitic impedances) are compared with some other recent CCCII implementations. At a bias current of 550 /spl mu/A, and supplied under /spl plusmn/2.2 V, the conveyor exhibits R/sub X/ value as low as 2.2 /spl Omega/. Passbands of dc to 2.2 GHz are exhibited for both voltage and current transfers.     

MOS transistors operated in the lateral bipolar mode and their application in CMOS technology

Operation of an MOS transistor as a lateral bipolar is described and analyzed qualitatively. It yields a good bipolar transistor that is fully compatible with any bulk CMOS technology. Experimental results show that high /spl beta/-gain can be achieved and that matching and 1/f noise properties are much better than in MOS operation. Examples of experimental circuits in CMOS technology illustrate the major advantages that this device offers. A multiple current mirror achieves higher accuracy, especially at low currents. An operational transconductance amplifier has an equivalent input noise density below 0.1 /spl mu/V//spl radic/Hz for frequencies as low as 1 Hz and a total current of 10 /spl mu/A. A bandgap reference yields a voltage stable within 3 mV from -40 to +80/spl deg/C after digital adjustment at ambient temperature. Other possible applications are suggested.     

Short-channel metal-gate TFTs with modified Schottky-barrier source/drain

A thin active layer, a fully silicided source/drain (S/D), a modified Schottky-barrier, a high dielectric constant (high-/spl kappa/) gate dielectric, and a metal gate are integrated to realize high-performance thin-film transistors (TFTs). Devices with 0.1-/spl mu/m gate length were fabricated successfully. Low threshold voltage, low subthreshold swing, high transconductance, low S/D resistance, high on/off current ratio, and negligible threshold voltage rolloff are demonstrated. It is thus suggested for the first time that the short-channel modified Schottky-barrier TFT is a solution to carrier out three-dimension integrated circuits and system-on-panel.     

A capacitive fingerprint sensor chip using low-temperature poly-Si TFTs on a glass substrate and a novel and unique sensing method

We have developed a capacitive fingerprint sensor chip using low-temperature poly-Si thin film transistors (TFTs). We have obtained good fingerprint images which have sufficient contrast for fingerprint certification. The sensor chip comprises sensor circuits, drive circuits, and a signal processing circuit. The new sensor cell employs only one transistor and one sensor plate within one cell. There is no leakage current to other cells by using a new and unique sensing method. The output of this sensor chip is an analog wave and the designed maximum output level is almost equal to the TFT's threshold voltage, which is 2-3 V for low-temperature poly-Si TFTs. We used a glass substrate and only two metal layers to lower the cost. The size of the trial chip is 30 mm/spl times/20 mm/spl times/1.2 mm and the sensor area is 19.2 mm/spl times/15 mm. The size of the prototype cell is now 60 /spl mu/m/spl times/60 /spl mu/m at 423 dpi, but it will be easy to increase the resolution up to more than 500 dpi. The drive frequency is now 500 kHz and the power consumption is 1.2 mW with a 5-V supply voltage. This new fingerprint sensor is most suitable for mobile use because the sensor chip is low cost and in a thin package with low power consumption.     

A 64-kbit dynamic MOS RAM

A 64-kbit dynamic MOS RAM is developed by using 2 /spl mu/m rule VLSI fabrication technology and low power circuit technology. The 2 /spl mu/m rule VLSI fabrication technology is achieved by improving various aspects of the ultraviolet photolithographic, thin-gate oxidation, arsenic ion implantation, and multilevel interconnection processes. Microminiaturization of the device structure has made the voltage requirements for its MOST threshold voltage and DC supply voltages low. A highly sensitive and low power dissipating sense circuit has been developed for the VLSI RAM. A new level-detecting circuit with a logic threshold which is independent of MOST threshold voltage is proposed. A dynamic address-buffer circuit is also shown. The fabricated 64K RAM has 200 ns of access time, 370 ns of minimum cycle time, and 150 mW of power dissipation under typical supply voltage conditions of V/SUB DD/=7 V and V/SUB BB/=-2 V.     

An ultrathin vertical channel MOSFET for sub-100-nm applications

An ultrathin vertical channel (UTVC) MOSFET with an asymmetric gate-overlapped low-doped drain (LDD) is experimentally demonstrated. In the structure, the UTVC (15 nm) was obtained using the cost-effective solid phase epitaxy, and the boron-doped poly-Si/sub 0.5/Ge/sub 0.5/ gate was adopted to adjust the threshold voltage. The fabricated NMOSFET offers high-current drive due to the lightly doped (<1/spl times/10/sup 15/ cm/sup -3/) channel, which suppresses the electron mobility degradation. Moreover, an asymmetric gate-overlapped LDD was used to suppress the offstate leakage current and reduce the source/drain series resistance significantly as compared to the conventional symmetrical LDD. The on-current drive, offstate leakage current, subthreshold slope, and DIBL for the fabricated 50-nm devices are 325 /spl mu/A//spl mu/m, 8/spl times/10/sup -9/ /spl mu/A//spl mu/m, 87 mV/V, and 95 mV/dec, respectively.     

A high performance 1 Mbit EPROM

A high-performance 1-Mb EPROM has been developed by utilizing advanced 1.2-/spl mu/m minimum design rule technology. The device technology used is n-channel E/D MOS. The memory cell size is 5.5/spl times/7.5 /spl mu/m and the die size is 9.4/spl times/7.2 mm. The word organization is changeable between 64K words/spl times/16 bits and 128K words/spl times/8 bits. The active power dissipation is 500 mW and the standby power dissipation is 150 mW. The access time is typically 200 ns. The programming voltage is 12-14 V and the programming pulse width is typically 1 ms/word. In order to realize such a high-density, high-speed, low power 1-Mb EPROM, 1.2-/spl mu/m minimum patterning process technology, a high-speed sense amplifier, and a high-speed decoder are used.