A model for the temperature-dependent saturated I/sub D/-V/sub D/ characteristics of an a-Si:H thin-film transistor

A simplified analytical expression for the temperature dependent saturated I/sub D/-V/sub D/ characteristics of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) thin-film transistors, between -50 degrees C and 90 degrees C, is presented and experimentally verified. The results show that the experimental transfer and output characteristics at several temperatures are easily modeled by a single equation. The model is based on three functions obtained from the experimental data of I/sub D/ versus V/sub G/, over a range of temperature. Theoretical results confirm the simple form of the model in terms of the device geometry. As the temperature increased, the saturated drain current increased and, at a fixed gate voltage the device saturated at increasingly larger drain voltages while the threshold voltage decreased. Good agreement between the measured data and the model was obtained up to 363 K. Also observed at temperatures larger than 363 K was a decrease in I/sub D/ and more severe gate voltage hysteresis characteristics.>