Bottom-gate poly-Si thin film transistors using XeCl excimer laserannealing and ion doping techniques

High mobility bottom-gate poly-Si thin film transistors (TFTs) have been successfully fabricated on a hard glass substrate using XeCl excimer laser annealing and ion doping techniques. The authors used an a-Si:H film which is deposited by a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) as a precursor film, and then they crystallized the a-Si film by XeCl excimer laser annealing. The maximum field effect mobility and grain size obtained were 200 cm²/V-s (n-channel), and 250 nm, respectively. The poly-Si TFTs showed excellent transfer characteristics, and an ON/OFF current ratio of over 10⁶ was obtained. Successful control of the threshold voltage within 4 V using an ion doping technique is also demonstrated     

Dependence of thin film transistor characteristics on thedeposition conditions of silicon nitride and amorphous silicon

The systematic relation between thin film transistors' (TFT's) characteristics and the deposition conditions of amorphous silicon nitride (a-SiN) films and hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) films is investigated. It is observed that field effect mobility μ_FE and threshold voltage V_th of the TFT's strongly depend on the deposition conditions of these films. The maximum μ_FE of 0.88 cm²/V·s is obtained for the TFT of which a-SiN film is deposited at a pressure of 85 Pa. This phenomenon is due to the variation of the interface states density between a-Si:H film and a-SiN film     

A high-performance polycrystalline silicon thin film transistorwith a silicon nitride gate insulator

We have fabricated a high performance polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) thin film transistor (TFT) with a silicon-nitride (SiN_x ) gate insulator using three stacked layers: very thin laser of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H), SiN_x and laser annealed poly-Si. After patterning thin a-Si:H/SiN_x layers, gate, and source/drain regions were ion-doped and then Ni layer was deposited. This structure was annealed at 250°C to form a NiSi silicide phase. The low resistive Ni silicides were introduced as gate/source/drain electrodes in order to reduce the process steps. The poly-Si with a grain size of 250 nm and low resistance n⁺ poly-Si for ohmic contact were introduced to achieve a high performance TFT. The fabricated poly-Si TFT exhibited a field effect mobility of 262 cm²/Vs and a threshold voltage of 1 V     

Analogue circuit building blocks with amorphous silicon thin film transistors

Useful building blocks such as the analogue subtractor, adder, and current source, with amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) thin film transistors (TFTs) are presented. The circuits built with only n-channel devices tackle the problem of threshold voltage instability in the TFT to provide stable transfer characteristics.     

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon thin film transistor fabricated onplasma treated silicon nitride

We have demonstrated that the performance of the inverted staggered, hydrogenated amorphous silicon thin film transistor (a-Si:H TFT) is improved by a He, H₂, NH₃ or N₂ plasma treatment for a short time on the surface of silicon nitride (SiN _x) before a-Si:H deposition. With increasing plasma exposure time, the field-effect mobility increase at first and then decrease, but the threshold voltage changes little. The a-Si:H TFT with a 6-min N₂ plasma treatment on SiN_x exhibited a field effect mobility of 1.37 cm²/Vs, a threshold voltage of 4.2 V and a subthreshold slope of 0.34 V/dec. It is found that surface roughness of SiN_x is decreased and N concentration in the SiN _x at the surface region decreases using the plasma treatment     

Microstructure evolution of amorphous silicon thin films upon annealing studied by positron annihilation

Amorphous silicon (a-Si) thin films were prepared on glass substrates by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). Influence of annealing temperature on the microstructure, surface morphology, and defects evolution of the films were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscope (AFM) and positron annihilation Doppler broadening spectroscopy (DBS) based on a slow positron beam, respectively. The S parameter of the as-deposited a-Si thin film is high, indicative of amorphous state of Si film with many defects. The a-Si gradually grows into polycrystalline silicon with increasing temperature to 650 °C. For the films annealed below ~450 °C, positron diffusion lengths are rather small because most positrons are trapped in the defects of the a-Si films and annihilated there. With further rising the temperature to 600 °C, the diffusion length of positrons increases significantly due to the removal of vacancy-type defects upon annealing at a high temperature. The results indicate that the coalescence of small vacancy-type defects in a-Si thin film and the crystallization of a-Si occur around 450 °C and 650 °C, respectively.     

Self-heating and kink effects in a-Si:H thin film transistors

We describe a new physics based, analytical DC model accounting for short channel effects for hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) thin film transistors (TFT's). This model is based on the long channel device model. Two important short-channel phenomena, self-heating and kink effects, are analyzed in detail. For the self-heating effect, a thermal kinetic analysis is carried out and a physical model and an equivalent circuit are used to estimate the thermal resistance of the device. In deriving the analytical model for self-heating effect, a first order approximation and self-consistency are used to give an iteration-free model accurate for a temperature rise of up to 100°C. In the modeling of the kink effects, a semi-empirical approach is used based on the physics involved. The combined model accurately reproduces the DC characteristics of a-Si:H TFT's with a gate length of the 4 μm. Predictions for a-Si:H TFT's scaled down to 1 μm are also provided. The model is suitable for use in device and circuit simulators     

非晶硅薄膜太阳能电池应用开发新进展

非晶硅（ａ－Ｓｉ）薄膜太阳能电池是取之不尽的洁净能源－太阳能的光电元（组）件。文章详述了ａ－Ｓｉ薄膜太阳能电池的工艺优势，市场开发状况，可能应用领域，存在问题和展望。     

Crystallization and ablation in annealing of amorphous-Si thin film on glass and crystalline-Si substrates irradiated by third harmonics of Nd:YAG laser

In the present research, an approach of converting amorphous-silicon (a-Si) thin films into polycrystalline thin films using the third harmonics of an all-solid-state pulsed Nd³⁺:YAG laser (355 nm) is studied. Two different samples of a-Si thin films on alkali-free glass (a-Si/glass) substrates and a-Si thin film on crystalline-Si substrates (a-Si/c-Si) are laser treated at different laser fluences ranging from 170 to 960 mJ/cm². The amount of heat incident on the surface has been analyzed theoretically by solving the one-dimensional heat-equation model. The ablation threshold, the region of crystallization and the depth of crystallization have been investigated theoretically. The influence of laser irradiation, ablation and crystallinity has been experimentally analyzed through in-situ reflectivity measurements, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Raman spectroscopy studies. In the case of a-Si/c-Si, the extent of crystallinity and the influence of structural characteristics on electronic properties are studied using the Hall-effect technique. The ablation threshold and the range of crystallization regime are in good agreement with the theoretical results. Laser fluence between 300 and 500 mJ/cm² is required for crystallization and the ablation threshold is estimated to be above 500 mJ/cm² for a-Si thin film with a thickness up to 400 nm.     

聚酰亚胺衬底柔性非晶硅薄膜电池集成串联组件的研究

研究了柔性Si基薄膜太阳电池集成串联组件的制备与关键技术。对导电栅线在柔性薄膜太阳电池集成串联组件中的重要性进行了模拟计算,对柔性薄膜太阳电池激光刻蚀进行了理论分析与实验优化,并对柔性Si基薄膜太阳电池集成串联组件进行了设计与研制。在聚酰亚胺(PI)衬底上,通过卷对卷磁控溅射与卷对卷等离子增强化学气相沉积(PECVD)依次沉积复合背反射层Ag/ZnO、Si基薄膜层和透明导电膜层,采用激光刻蚀与丝网印刷工艺相结合实现集成串联,制备了柔性非晶Si(a-Si)薄膜太阳电池集成串联组件。柔性单结集成串联组件有效面积转换效率达到了4.572%(AM0),开路电压Voc=5.065V,填充因子FF=0.552。     

卷对卷制备柔性硅基薄膜电池集成串联组件的研究

卷对卷制备出聚酰亚胺(PI)衬底柔性 硅(Si)基薄膜太阳电池集成串联组件。对卷对卷制备柔性Si基薄膜电池集成串联的优势 进行了分析,讨论了制约柔性薄膜电 池集成串联组件的主要因素;设计了两种柔性薄膜电池集成串联组件结构;进行了柔性 薄膜电池集成串联组件研制,并进行了对比分析。采用卷对卷工艺制备了非晶硅(a-Si)电 池,采用 卷对卷激光刻划、卷对卷丝网印刷与卷对卷精密点胶实现集成串联,形成柔性薄膜电池集成 串联组件,柔性a-Si单结集成串联组件全面积转换效率达到5.96％(AM1.5,全面积为117.3 cm²)。     

引入微晶硅底电池的PIN型三结Si基薄膜太阳电池的制备

为充分利用太阳光谱能量,在玻璃衬底的PIN型a-Si/a-SiGe电池中直接引入了微晶硅(μc-Si:H)底电池.从透明导电氧化物(TCO)衬底的光透过率估算了PIN型a-Si:H/a-SiGe:H/μc-Si:H三结电池实现高转化效率的可行性.通过调整μc-Si:H底电池厚度考察三结电池的性能变化,结果发现,受中间电...     

Synthesis of wurtzite GaN thin film via spin coating method

In this research, hexagonal wurtzite structure gallium nitride (GaN) thin film was grown on silicon (Si) substrate by using spin coating deposition method. Simple ethanol-based precursor with the addition of diethanolamine solution was used. High resolution X-ray diffraction results revealed that wurtzite structure GaN thin film with (002) preferred orientation was deposited on Si substrate. Flied-emission scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy results showed that crack free GaN thin film with uniform and dense grains of GaN was formed. Finally, lattice vibrational characterization by p-polarized infrared reflectance technique revealed a strong reststrahlen feature of crystalline wurtzite GaN, and the transverse and longitudinal phonon modes of wurtzite GaN were clearly identified.     

双光栅结构薄膜太阳能电池的优化

为了提高单晶硅薄膜太阳能电池短路电流密度和转换效率, 采用在单晶硅薄膜太阳能电池正背面分别集成硅介质光栅和铝金属光栅的方法, 并利用有限时域差分法软件仿真研究了两种光栅的周期、厚度、占空比对单晶硅薄膜太阳能电池短路电流密度和光转换效率的影响。结果表明, 通过优化可得当正背面光栅都处于最优值时(介质光栅占空比F=0.8、介质光栅周期P=0.632μm、介质光栅厚度h_g=0.42μm; 金属光栅占空比F₁=0.9、金属光栅周期P=0.632μm、金属光栅厚度h_m=0.005μm), 短路电流密度可达35.15mA/cm2, 转换效率为43.35%;将最优光栅单晶硅薄膜太阳能电池与传统单晶硅薄膜太阳能电池对比, 无论是光程路径还是吸收效率, 光栅单晶硅薄膜太阳能电池都有显著的提高。这为以后制备高性能薄膜太阳能电池提供了理论指导。     

异质结硅太阳能电池a—Si：H薄膜的研究

通过应用Scharfetter-Gummel数值求解Poisson方程，对热平衡态P^ （a-Si:H)/n(c-Si)异质结太阳能电池进行计算机数值模拟分析。结果指出，采用更薄P^ (a-Si：H）薄膜设计能有效增强光生载流子的传输与收集，从而提高a-Si/c-Si异质结太阳能电池的性能。同时，还讨论了P^ (a-Si:h)薄膜中P型掺杂浓度对光生载流了传输与收集的影响。高强茺光照射下模拟，计算表明，a-Si/c-Si异质结结构太阳能电池具有较高光稳定性。     

可用于可穿戴设备的透明非晶硅薄膜太阳能电池的研究

一种可用于可穿戴设备屏幕表面的透明非晶硅薄膜太阳能电池,采用激光刻蚀高密度微纳光通道阵列、TCO薄膜作为透明导电背电极,并减薄I层厚度来提升光线透过率。实验表明随着光刻密度增加或I层厚度的减少,光电转换效率会降低,光线透过率会增加,当I层厚度300nm,光刻孔隙直径30m,阵列间隔55m以内时,可获得50%以上的透过率（最高59%）和2.5%以上的光电转化效率（最高3%）。     

XeCl Excimer laser annealing used in the fabrication of poly-Si TFT's

Mo-gate n-channel poly-Si thin-film transistors (TFT's) have been fabricated for the first time at a low processing temperature of 260°C. A 500-1000-A-thick a-Si:H was successfully crystallized by XeCl excimer laser (308nm) annealing without heating a glass substrate. TFT's were fabricated in the crystallized Si film. The channel mobility of the TFT was 180cm²/V.s when the a-Si:H was crystallized by annealing with a laser having an energy density of 200 mJ/cm². This result shows that high-speed silicon devices can be fabricated at a low temperature using XeCl excimer laser annealing.     

A self-alignment process for amorphous silicon thin film transistors

A new method of fabricating amorphous Si thin film transistors (a-Si TFT's) has been developed. This method uses the self-alignment process, which also includes the successive deposition of gate insulator and active amorphous Si layers in one-pumpdown time in an RF glow discharge apparatus. This method greatly simplifies the fabrication process and results in stable device performance. The practicability of this method was confirmed by experimentally fabricated devices.     

Integrated thin film heater-thermocouple systems

A novel system of integrated thin-film heater with an embedded thermocouple was developed. Thin-film metallic heaters are widely used today in various fields of electronics and microelectronics applications. The main goal of the heater is usually to maintain the temperature in the heated zone. A deterministic method to manufacture an in situ heater––thermocouple system, with a pre-determined heater resistance, to give a required heat power, was developed. In order to examine this novel method, thin-film heaters were made using layers of Al and NiCr alloys. The temperature of the thin-film heater was measured while heating by an embedded thin-film thermocouple, positioned in the vicinity of the heater. This thin-film thermocouple system consisted of Ni–Ag alloy. A precise control of the growing heater film, while deposition, became possible using a simultaneous measurement of the heater sample resistance.     

Integration of thin film optoelectronic devices onto micromachinedmovable platforms

The integration of a thin film optoelectronic device onto a micromachined movable platform is reported in this letter. This micro-opto-mechanical system, consisting of a thin film AlGaAs/GaAs double heterostructure p-i-n detector integrated onto a polyimide micromachined platform on silicon, has applications which range from fiber optic coupling to sensors. Fiber optic coupling is demonstrated using a stationary fiber positioned above the thin film detector. By applying a voltage between the platform and actuation strips, the platform moves and a change in fiber to detector coupling is observed