title: Fabrication of high performance thin-film transistors via pressure-induced nucleation.
abstract: We report a method to improve the performance of polycrystalline Si (poly-Si) thin-film transistors (TFTs) via pressure-induced nucleation (PIN). During the PIN process, spatial variation in the local solidification temperature occurs because of a non-uniform pressure distribution during laser irradiation of the amorphous Si layer, which is capped with an SiO2 layer. This leads to a four-fold increase in the grain size of the poly-Si thin-films formed using the PIN process, compared with those formed using conventional excimer laser annealing. We find that thin films with optimal electrical properties can be achieved with a reduction in the number of laser irradiations from 20 to 6, as well as the preservation of the interface between the poly-Si and the SiO2 gate insulator. This interface preservation becomes possible to remove the cleaning process prior to gate insulator deposition, and we report devices with a field-effect mobility greater than 160 cm(2)/Vs.
authors.affiliation: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., San #24 Nongseo-Dong, Giheung-Gu, Yongin-City, Gyeonggi-Do, 446-711, Korea.
authors.forename: Myung-Koo
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: 1] School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120-749, Korea [2] Samsung Display Co., Ltd., #465 Beonyeong-ro, Seobuk-gu, Cheonan-City, Chungcheongnam-Do 331-710, Korea.
authors.forename: Si Joon
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120-749, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyun Jae
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kim