Transparent thin film transistor, and method of manufacturing the same

• US 8,698,215 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2007
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Jeong, Jae-Kyeong, Shin, Hyun-Soo, Mo, Yeon-Gon
• Primary Examiner(s): Rizkallah, Kimberly
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, DUY T V
• Application Number:
  US11/763,373
• Publication Number:
  US 20080166475A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,497 Days
• Field of Search: 257/59, 257/288, 257/614, 257/E29.13
• US Class Current: 257/288
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1218 with a particular composition or structure of the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1225 with semiconductor materials not belonging to the group IV of the periodic table, e.g. InGaZnO
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/127 with a particular formation, treatment or patterning of the active layer specially adapted to the circuit arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7869 having a semiconductor body comprising an oxide semiconductor material, e.g. zinc oxide, copper aluminium oxide, cadmium stannate

Abstract

A thin film transistor (TFT) and a method of manufacturing the same such that an ohmic contact can be formed between a semiconductor layer and a source electrode or between the semiconductor layer and a drain electrode, wherein the TFT can be applied to a plastic substrate. The TFT includes: a substrate; an active layer formed of ZnO, InZnO, ZnSnO, and/or ZnInGaO on the substrate and including a channel region, a source region, and a drain region; a gate electrode insulated from the active layer; and source and drain electrodes insulated from the gate electrode and electrically connected to the source region and the drain region, respectively, wherein the source region and the drain region of the active layer include hydrogen.

Claims

1. A thin film transistor (TFT) comprising:

a plastic substrate;

an active layer disposed on the plastic substrate and comprising a channel region, a source region, and a drain region, the active layer including a material selected from the group consisting of InZnO, ZnSnO, and ZnInGaO;

a gate electrode insulated from the active layer;

a source electrode insulated from the gate electrode and electrically connected to the source region of the active layer; and

a drain electrode insulated from the gate electrode and electrically connected to the drain region of the active layer,

wherein the source region and the drain region of the active layer comprise hydrogen, and

wherein a concentration of hydrogen of the source region and the drain region of the active layer ranges from about 10¹⁸/cm³ to about 10²¹/cm³, and

wherein the active layer is transparent to light.

2. The TFT of claim 1, further comprising a gate insulating layer disposed on the active layer to be between the gate electrode and the active layer, wherein the gate electrode is disposed on the gate insulating layer.