On the pseudo-subthreshold characteristics of polycrystalline-silicon thin-film transistors with large grain size

A two-dimensional nonplanar device simulator for polycrystalline-silicon thin-film transistors (poly-Si TFTs) was developed, in which the influence of trapped charges and carrier scattering within the grain boundary region are incorporated into Poisson's equations and drift-diffusion current formulations, respectively. With this simulator, the I-V characteristics of poly-Si TFT devices can be characterized. TFTs in polycrystalline silicon were fabricated to test the simulator. Special attention was paid to the conduction mechanism in poly-Si TFTs with large grain size. A concept called the pseudo-subthreshold region is presented to explain the observed behavior. The key factors affecting the pseudosubthreshold slope were investigated and elucidated using the simulator.>