Oxygen plasma and high pressure H 2 O vapor heat treatments used to fabricate polycrystalline silicon thin film transistors

Abstract

Oxygen plasma and high pressure H2O vapor heat treatment were applied to fabrication of n-channel polycrystalline silicon thin film transistors (poly-Si TFTs). 13.56 MHz-oxygen-plasma treatment at 250 °C, 100 W for 5 min effectively reduced defect states of 25-nm-thick silicon films crystallized by 30 ns-pulsed XeCl excimer laser irradiation. 1.3×106-Pa-H2O vapor heat treatment at 260 °C for 3 h was carried out in order to improve electrical properties of SiOx gate insulators and SiOx/Si interfaces. A carrier mobility of 470 cm2/V s and a low threshold voltage of 1.8 V were achieved for TFTs fabricated with crystallization at 285 mJ/cm2.