THIN-FILM TRANSISTOR (TFT) WITH AN EXTENDED OXIDE CHANNEL

• US 20100244017A1
• Filed: 03/31/2009
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: STASIAK, James W., HOFFMAN, Randy
• Application Number:
  US12/415,980
• Publication Number:
  US 20100244017A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/43
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02554 Oxides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02565 Oxide semiconducting materials not being Group 12/16 materials, e.g. ternary compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7869 having a semiconductor body comprising an oxide semiconductor material, e.g. zinc oxide, copper aluminium oxide, cadmium stannate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/78696 characterised by the structure of the channel, e.g. multichannel, transverse or longitudinal shape, length or width, doping structure, or the overlap or alignment between the channel and the gate, the source or the drain, or the contacting structure of the channel H01L29/78612 takes precedence; transistors having a drain offset region or a lightly doped drain [LDD] H01L29/78621

Abstract

In at least some embodiments, a thin-film transistor (TFT) includes a gate electrode and a gate dielectric adjacent the gate electrode. The TFT also includes a source electrode at least partially aligned with the gate electrode and separated from the gate electrode by the gate dielectric. The TFT also includes a drain electrode laterally offset from the gate electrode by at least 2 μm and separated from the gate electrode by the gate dielectric. The TFT also includes an extended oxide channel between the source electrode and the drain electrode, wherein a portion of the extended oxide channel is ungated.

Claims

1. A thin-film transistor (TFT), comprising:

a gate electrode;

a gate dielectric adjacent the gate electrode;

a source electrode at least partially aligned with the gate electrode and separated from the gate electrode by the gate dielectric;

a drain electrode laterally offset from the gate electrode by at least about 2 μ

m and separated from the gate electrode by the gate dielectric; and

an extended oxide channel between the source electrode and the drain electrode, wherein a portion of said extended oxide channel is ungated.

2. The TFT of claim 1 wherein the extended oxide channel comprises a combination of at least two materials selected from a list consisting of zinc oxide, tin oxide, indium oxide, and gallium oxide.

3. The TFT of claim 2 wherein the extended oxide channel comprises an amorphous material.

4. The TFT of claim 1 wherein the extended oxide channel comprises at least one material selected from a list consisting of zinc indium oxide, zinc tin oxide, indium gallium oxide, and indium gallium zinc oxide.

5. The TFT of claim 1 wherein the gate electrode, the source electrode and the drain electrode are coplanar.

6. The TFT of claim 1 wherein the gate electrode, the source electrode and the drain electrode are staggered.

7. The TFT of claim 1 wherein the TFT is a top-gate transistor.

8. The TFT of claim 1 wherein the TFT is a bottom-gate transistor.

9. A method, comprising:

constructing a thin-film transistor (TFT) by

depositing a gate electrode;

depositing a gate dielectric adjacent the gate electrode;

depositing an oxide channel adjacent the gate dielectric and across from the gate electrode, wherein the oxide channel extends beyond an edge of the gate electrode; and

depositing a source electrode and a drain electrode in contact with the oxide channel, the drain electrode being laterally offset from the gate electrode by at least about 2 μ

m.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising selecting the oxide channel as a combination of at least two materials selected from a list consisting of zinc oxide, tin oxide, indium oxide, and gallium oxide.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein constructing the TFT further comprises depositing said gate electrode, said gate dielectric, said oxide channel, said source electrode, and said drain electrode over a curved substrate.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein constructing the TFT further comprises depositing said gate material, said gate dielectric material, said oxide channel material, said source material, and said drain material over a flexible substrate.

13. The method of claim 9 further comprising operating the TFT by applying at least 100 volts to the drain material and less than 20 volts to the gate material.

14. The method of claim 9 further comprising interfacing the TFT with a Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) component.

15. An electronic device, comprising:

a thin-film transistor (TFT), the TFT having a multi-component oxide channel with a gated portion and an ungated portion, wherein the ungated portion is at least about 2 μ

m in length; and

a component coupled to the TFT, wherein the component selectively receives power from the TFT.

16. The electronic device of claim 15 wherein the multi-component oxide channel comprises a combination of at least two materials selected from a list consisting of zinc oxide, tin oxide, indium oxide, and gallium oxide.

17. The electronic device of claim 15 wherein the component comprises an active-matrix display component.

18. The electronic device of claim 15 wherein the component comprises a Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) component.

19. The electronic device of claim 15 wherein the TFT and the electronic device are at least partially transparent.

20. The electronic device of claim 15 wherein the electronic device is elastically deformative.