Title :
Characterization of an individual grain boundary in metal-induced laterally crystallized polycrystalline silicon thin-film devices
Author :
Wang, Mingxiang ; Wong, Man
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electr. & Electron. Eng., Hong Kong Univ. of Sci. & Technol., Kowloon, China
fDate :
8/1/2001 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
A distinct grain boundary (GB) is formed when two crystallization fronts collide in metal-induced laterally crystallized (MILC) polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) thin films. This has been used to study carrier transport across a single dominant GB. The average number of traps per unit area is found to be about 1.6× 1012/cm2 in this GB, significantly higher than that associated with the regular GBs in the bulk of MILC poly-Si. Though this single GB occupies a negligible fraction of the total device volume, it has been found to significantly affect both the resistance of MILC resistors and the leakage current of MILC thin-film transistors
Keywords :
elemental semiconductors; grain boundaries; leakage currents; recrystallisation annealing; semiconductor thin films; silicon; thin film resistors; thin film transistors; MILC; MILC resistors; MILC thin-film transistors; Si-SiO2; carrier transport; crystallization front collision; distinct grain boundary; individual grain boundary characterization; leakage current; metal-induced laterally crystallized polycrystalline silicon thin-film devices; polysilicon thin-film devices; resistance; Conductivity; Crystallization; Grain boundaries; Leakage current; Nickel; Resistors; Semiconductor thin films; Silicon; Thin film devices; Thin film transistors;
Journal_Title :
Electron Devices, IEEE Transactions on
