Effects of oxygen flow rate on the electrical stability of zinc oxynitride thin-film transistors

Abstract

We investigated the effects of the oxygen flow rate (OFR) during the deposition of a zinc oxynitride (ZnON) channel layer on the electrical performance and stability of high-mobility ZnON thin-film transistors (TFTs). The ZnON TFTs prepared at a lower OFR exhibited higher electrical performance characteristics and a higher electrical stability under positive gate bias stresses than those prepared at a higher OFR, but showed a lower electrical stability under negative gate bias stresses. The lower density of subgap states within the channel layer and the higher hole concentration due to the small bandgap were considered as physical mechanisms responsible for the observed phenomena, respectively. (C) 2017 The Japan Society of Applied Physics