Thermal annealing effect on amorphous silicon thin-film transistors fabricated on a flexible stainless steel substrate

Abstract

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon thin-film transistors (a-Si:H TFTs) were fabricated on a stainless steel substrate at 150°C. To increase the stability of the flexible a-Si:H TFTs, they were thermally annealed at 230°C after fabrication. The field-effect mobility was reduced to 71% of the initial value because of the strain of the released hydrogen atoms and residual compressive stress in a-Si:H TFT under thermal annealing at 230°C. As chromium was evaporated on the back side of flexible a-Si:H TFTs to compensate thermal stress under thermal annealing at 230°C the mobility recovered 84% of the initial value. © 2007 The Electrochemical Society.