Ryan Rettmann

Abstract

Development of thin-film transistor (TFT) backplane technologies has traditionally been limited by the substrate materials used; amorphous (a-Si) or polycrystalline (p-Si) silicon on glass. These materials have lower carrier mobility as compared to traditional crystalline silicon CMOS technologies, resulting in performance limitations. In addition, thermal oxidation is not a viable option for two reasons: oxidation on non-crystalline silicon is non-uniform, and the temperature limitations of the glass, 600 °C, prevents any appreciable SiO2 growth. This constrains the potential for a high-quality Si-SiO2 interface necessary for aggressive scaling. Corning Incorporated has developed a new Silicon-on-Glass (SiOG) substrate material addressing some of these limitations. The crystalline silicon layer allows for high carrier mobility and a uniform surface for thermal oxidation; however the glass substrate remains incompatible with process temperatures above 600°C for traditional oxidation processes. Development of a fluorine-assisted thermal oxidation process enabling substantially higher growth rates is explored. Both NF3 and Ar/F2 additives have been shown to provide significant enhancement in growth rate, resulting in 10's of nanometers of oxide at temperatures compatible with the SiOG substrate. The oxidation process has been optimized for applications such as a sacrificial layer for ion implantation screening, or a gate dielectric in TFT devices.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Thin film transistors--Design and construction; Oxidation

Publication Date

2011

Document Type

Thesis

Department, Program, or Center

Microelectronic Engineering (KGCOE)

Advisor

Hirschman, Karl

Comments

Note: imported from RIT’s Digital Media Library running on DSpace to RIT Scholar Works. Physical copy available through RIT's The Wallace Library at: TK7871.96.T45 R48 2011

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

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